Mac-Quart

Natural products have long been a vital source of new pharmaceuticals, especially anti-infectious agents. However, increasing pathogen resistance poses a challenge to this approach. In response, the total synthesis of natural products has regained importance for confirming structures, ensuring a consistent supply, and creating analogs. Polyketide tetronate derivatives, known for their structural complexity and diversity, frequently introduce new members. Quartromicins (QMNs), isolated in 1991 from Amycolatopsis orientalis, are part of this class, featuring an exotic and complex structure and present broad antiviral activity, including against HIV. Despite several attempts, including the synthesis of a challenging pseudo-dimer, no total synthesis of QMNs has been achieved. Inspired by the complexity and our interest in new enantioselective transformations, we initiated efforts to achieve the first total synthesis of QMNs.