Triostin A

Triostin A is a symmetric bicyclic depsipeptide with very potent antitumoral activity because of its bisintercalation into DNA. In this study, we report a new synthetic strategy that exploits a structural symmetry of triostin A. First, we prepared a novel symmetric linker molecule that is labile under mildly acidic conditions and suitable for a solid-phase synthesis procedure. Two Cys units were attached to a linker-resin conjugate via their free thiol groups, and double deprotection and double coupling reactions were then applied to synthesize linear tetradepsipeptides. Subsequently, the key biscyclization of the tetradepsipeptides was performed on the resin, and the resulting cyclic octapeptide was detached from the linker-resin conjugate to give a peptide with two free thiols. Finally, triostin A was obtained by oxidizing the free thiols in solution to produce a disulfide. The yield was improved through exploration of two different solid-phase synthetic approaches under similar strategy. Mainly, this strategy was developed to enable the ease and rapid preparation of libraries of symmetric bicyclic depsipeptides. It also addresses several synthetic problems with our synthesis, including diketopiperazine (DKP) formation, poor cyclization yields and preparation of noncommercial N-methyl amino acids in good yields.

Triostin A is a biosynthetic precursor of echinomycin which is one of the most potent hypoxia inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) inhibitors. An improved solution-phase synthesis of triostin A on a preparative scale has been achieved in 17.5% total yield in 13 steps. New analogues of triostin A with various aromatic chromophores, oxidized intra-peptide disulfide bridges and diastereoisomeric cyclic depsipeptide cores were also successfully synthesized. All analogues had a significant inhibitory effect on HIF-1 transcriptional activation in hypoxia and cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cells, with the exception of the derivatives containing a naphthalene chromophore or a thiosulfonate bridge. For the first time, triostin A, echinomycin and the thiosulfinate analogue of triostin A have been revealed to inhibit not only DNA binding of HIF-1 but also HIF-1α protein accumulation in MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, the thiosulfinate analogue and triostin A exhibited a hypoxia-selective cytotoxicity on MCF-7 cells. The improved solution-phase synthetic procedure described herein will contribute to the development of diverse bicyclic depsipeptide drug candidates with the potential to act as novel anti-cancer agents targeting hypoxic tumor microenvironments.

The DNA bisintercalator triostin A is structurally based on a disulfide-bridged depsipeptide scaffold that provides preorganization of two quinoxaline units in 10.5 Å distance. Triostin A analogues are synthesized with nucleobase recognition units replacing the quinoxalines and containing two additional recognition units in between. Thus, four nucleobase recognition units are organized on a rigid template, well suited for DNA double strand interactions. The new tetra-nucleobase binders are synthesized as aza-TANDEM derivatives lacking the N-methylation of triostin A and based on a cyclopeptide backbone. Synthesis of two tetra-nucleobase aza-TANDEM derivatives is established, DNA interaction analyzed by microscale thermophoresis, cytotoxic activity studied and a nucleobase sequence dependent self-aggregation investigated by mass spectrometry.