Progress in the Chemistry of Cytochalasans
117
for chemists to deliver ample amounts of compounds in order to probe the bioactivity of these natural products and study their structure-activity relationships through
chemical derivatization.
Last, but not least, their highly complex structures combined with the noncrystalline properties of some of these natural products makes their structural characterization a great challenge, as illustrated by the case of periconiasin G (412).
Additional work must be conducted on the syntheses of these natural products in
order to correctly assign structures from an analytical point of view, since chemical
synthesis still has important roles to play in the process of solving some of Nature’s
most intriguing molecular puzzles.
The cytochalasan family of compounds has attracted considerable attention over
several decades, and many achievements in their total syntheses have been realized.
In light of the increasing structural complexity of newly found derivatives, cytochalasans will undoubtedly continue to serve as a compound class of major interest for
organic synthesis.
6 Conclusions
Cytochalasans are a class of structurally complex and biologically active alkaloids
found predominantly from various fungi, including from the genera Chaetomium,
Aspergillus, Phoma, and Phomopsis, which have attracted substantial attention from
chemists and biologists all over the world. Several reviews have been published previously on cytochalasans, focusing on their isolation and characterization, biosynthesis,
and organic synthesis. However, laboratory investigations on the cytochalasans have
grown rapidly in recent years, so it was considered necessary by the present authors
to write the present updated chapter. This contribution covers 477 cytochalasans
reported between the years 1966 through 2020, and provides an overview of research
on these compounds in terms of their isolation, structural determination, biological
activities, biosynthesis, and total synthesis.
It in order to interest further pharmaceutical companies on the biological potential of cytochalasans, new assays on inactive or untested cytochalasans should be
carried out, with the aim of developing structure-activity relationship information to
discern the functionalities responsible for the activities of members of this compound
class. The future contributions of natural product chemists will promote research on
the total synthesis and biosynthesis of cytochalasans, which in turn will promote
investigations on their more advanced biological testing. As a result of additional
interdisciplinary efforts from members of the chemical and biomedical scientific
communities, the present authors believe that cytochalasans will play an important
role in the future development and utilization of natural products as a whole.
117
for chemists to deliver ample amounts of compounds in order to probe the bioactivity of these natural products and study their structure-activity relationships through
chemical derivatization.
Last, but not least, their highly complex structures combined with the noncrystalline properties of some of these natural products makes their structural characterization a great challenge, as illustrated by the case of periconiasin G (412).
Additional work must be conducted on the syntheses of these natural products in
order to correctly assign structures from an analytical point of view, since chemical
synthesis still has important roles to play in the process of solving some of Nature’s
most intriguing molecular puzzles.
The cytochalasan family of compounds has attracted considerable attention over
several decades, and many achievements in their total syntheses have been realized.
In light of the increasing structural complexity of newly found derivatives, cytochalasans will undoubtedly continue to serve as a compound class of major interest for
organic synthesis.
6 Conclusions
Cytochalasans are a class of structurally complex and biologically active alkaloids
found predominantly from various fungi, including from the genera Chaetomium,
Aspergillus, Phoma, and Phomopsis, which have attracted substantial attention from
chemists and biologists all over the world. Several reviews have been published previously on cytochalasans, focusing on their isolation and characterization, biosynthesis,
and organic synthesis. However, laboratory investigations on the cytochalasans have
grown rapidly in recent years, so it was considered necessary by the present authors
to write the present updated chapter. This contribution covers 477 cytochalasans
reported between the years 1966 through 2020, and provides an overview of research
on these compounds in terms of their isolation, structural determination, biological
activities, biosynthesis, and total synthesis.
It in order to interest further pharmaceutical companies on the biological potential of cytochalasans, new assays on inactive or untested cytochalasans should be
carried out, with the aim of developing structure-activity relationship information to
discern the functionalities responsible for the activities of members of this compound
class. The future contributions of natural product chemists will promote research on
the total synthesis and biosynthesis of cytochalasans, which in turn will promote
investigations on their more advanced biological testing. As a result of additional
interdisciplinary efforts from members of the chemical and biomedical scientific
communities, the present authors believe that cytochalasans will play an important
role in the future development and utilization of natural products as a whole.