Total Synthesis of Cardiolipins Containing Chiral Cyclopropane Fatty Acids

Cardiolipin (CL) is a phospholipid located in both the eukaryotic mitochondrial inner membrane and the bacterial cell membrane. Some bacterial CLs are known to contain cyclopropane moieties in their acyl chains. Although the CLs are thought to be involved in the innate immune response, there have been few attempts at chemical synthesis of the CLs, and detailed studies of their biological activities are scarce. Thus, we have developed a synthetic route to CLs containing chiral cyclopropane moieties.