Improved Synthesis of 6-<i>epi</i>-Dictyostatin and Antitumor Efficacy in Mice Bearing MDA-MB231 Human Breast Cancer Xenografts

Abstract

Structure-activity studies centered on the naturally occurring antitumor agent dictyostatin have recently identified several highly active epimers and analogues. From these compounds, 6- epi-dictyostatin was selected for scaleup preparation and evaluation in animals. Here we describe a new total synthesis that produced more than 30 mg of 6- epi-dictyostatin. The compound was found to have potent antitumor activity in SCID mice bearing MDA-MB231 human breast cancer xenografts.