title: Formal total synthesis of (±)-cortistatin A.
abstract: A second-generation synthesis of the pentacyclic core of the cortistatins, a family of rearranged steroidal alkaloids that have recently attracted much attention, is reported. The improved sequence provides access to significant quantities of this key compound, which enabled a formal total synthesis of (±)-cortistatin A by conversion to the key Nicolaou/Hirama dienone. It is anticipated that this new, robust route to the pentacyclic core will facilitate the total synthesis of a range of natural products in the cortistatin family, as well as the construction of key structural analogs to probe the promising biological activity of these important compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Eric M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: Alison R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Hardin-Narayan
authors.forename: Xuelei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Richmond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sarpong