Iso‐seco‐tanapartholides: Isolation, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation

The isolation, identification and total synthesis of two plant‐derived inhibitors of the NF‐κB signaling pathway from the iso‐ seco ‐tanapartholide family of natural products is described. A key step in the efficient reaction sequence is a late‐stage oxidative cleavage reaction that was carried out in the absence of protecting groups to give the natural products directly. A detailed comparison of the synthetic material with samples of the natural products proved informative. Biological studies on synthetic material confirmed that these compounds act late in the NF‐κB signaling pathway. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)