Total Synthesis and Absolute Configuration of the Guaiane Sesquiterpene Englerin A

Abstract

Catnip craze: Nepetalactone, the psychoactive ingredient of catmint, was selected as starting material for the first enantioselective synthesis of englerin A. This cytotoxic guaiane sesquiterpene is a highly selective inhibitor (1–87 nM) of several renal cancer cell lines. The absolute configuration of this natural product was determined by total synthesis. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.