Synthesis, isolation, stereostructure and cytotoxicity of paclitaxel analogs from cephalomannine

Four paclitaxel derivatives were afforded by preparative HPLC separation of two pairs of diastereoisomers, which were obtained by catalytic hydrogenation and epoxidation of the C-13 side-chain double bond of cephalomannine, a naturally occurring paclitaxel analog. The four paclitaxel derivatives were analyzed using NMR, CD spectroscopy, and side-chain hydrolysis in order to measure their optical rotations and GC characteristics. In this way, the stereoconfigurations of the products were determined. Evaluation of the compounds' activity indicated that they had differing cytotoxic activities: compound 5 had superior activity in BCG-823 tumor cells compared to paclitaxel, while compound 7 had superior activity in HCT-8 and A549 tumor cells compared to paclitaxel. These results indicate that the stereoconfiguration of the paclitaxel N-acyl side chain has a significant impact on its activity.