Design and synthesis of ansamycin antibiotics

Abstract

Ansamycin antibiotics are a class of microbial metabolites that exhibit an array of biological activities. This review covers the synthetic chemistry and biological activity of benzenic ansamycins from 1989 to 2007. In the first section, synthetic approaches to the C15-benzene ansamycins (geldanamycin and related) are discussed. Access to the C17-benzene ansamycins (or ansatrienins) is disclosed in the second half of this article.