Synthesis of 9-substituted tetrahydrodiazepinopurines: Studies toward the total synthesis of asmarines

A methodology for the preparation of asmarine analogues has been developed. The asmarines are cytotoxic marine alkaloids with a unique tetrahydro[1,4]diazepino[1,2,3-g,h]purine (THDAP) structure. Three cyclization methods were applied for the preparation of the 9,9-disubstituted 10-hydroxy-THDAP system, namely, aminomercurization, iodocyclization, and acid-catalyzed cyclization. The DMPM group of the NOH functionality and cyanoethyl group of the N-9 atom were found to be the most suitable protecting groups. The structures of all compounds were mainly determined from NMR measurements including N-15 chemical shifts obtained from (NH)-N-15 HMBC spectra. The end products are at least about 1 order of magnitude less active than the natural product asmarine B.