Isocarbacyclin
In 1990, Tadakatsu Mandai, Seiki Saito, and co-workers at Okayama University of Science (Japan) reported a highly efficient method for synthesizing isocarbacyclin. Beginning from the available (4S)-4-(tert-butyldimethylsiloxy)-2-cyclopenten-1-one, the authors assembled the two rings in the reverse order from that of earlier syntheses. A key step was a single-pot, three-step tertiary allylic vinyl ether formation, Claisen rearrangement, and ene cyclization that completed the bicyclic framework.
Almost 30 years later, Ghina’a I. Abu Deiab and Mitchell P. Croatt at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro described a synthesis of isocarbacyclin in nine steps from commercially available starting materials. Their key steps were a palladium(0)-catalyzed decarboxylation, a rhodium(I)-catalyzed cycloaddition, and a ruthenium(II)-catalyzed cross-metathesis reaction. Isocarbacyclin analogues with alternative side chains were made in seven to ten steps.
In addition to its greater efficacy than prostacyclin, isocarbacyclin is more stable than its natural counterpart. Because it inhibits platelet aggregation, it can be used for treating ischemic stroke to prevent nerve damage. As a vasodilator, it has also been studied for treating vascular disorders such as thromboangiitis obliterans and arteriosclerosis obliterans. Despite the progress in this research, a large-scale synthesis of Isocarbacyclin has yet to be developed.
1. SciFinder name: 2-pentalenepentanoic acid, 1,3a,4,5,6,6a-hexahydro-5-hydroxy-6-[(1E,3S)-3-hydroxy-1-octenyl]-, (3aS,5R,6R,6aS)-.
2. CAS Reg. No. 35121-78-9.
Isocarbacyclin hazard information*
Hazard class** | GHS code and hazard statement | |
---|---|---|
Acute toxicity, oral, category 4 | H302—Harmful if swallowed | ![]() |
Skin corrosion/irritation, category 3 | H316—Causes mild skin irritation | |
Serious eye damage/eye irritation, category 1 | H318—Causes serious eye damage | ![]() |
Specific target organ toxicity, single exposure, respiratory tract irritation, category 3 | H335—May cause respiratory irritation | ![]() |
*No SDS available online. Data taken from AI search.
**Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. Explanation of pictograms.