Epilepsy and Morita-Baylis-Hillman: a synthetic approach to antiepileptic

Epilepsy is a chronic brain disorder that affects around 50 million people all over the world. It is characterized by recurrent seizures - which are physical reactions to sudden excessive electrical discharges in a group of brain cells. The discrimination and social stigma that surround epilepsy worldwide are often more difficult to overcome than the seizures themselves. Because of this fact and the economical impacts of the disease, the research for new biologically active compounds is still necessary. In 2008, Ahmed et al. isolated from the Red Sea sponge Negombata corticata two ceramides, which exhibit in vivo anticonvulsant activity. This work is focused on establishing of a synthetic sequence to prepare the polar fragment present in both ceramides. The strategy was based on a Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction between a Garner¿s aldehyde and ethyl acrylate that provided a functionalized intermediate in good diastereoselectivity. The major diastereoisomer was employed as substrate in an ozonolysis reaction, followed by a stereoselective reduction that afforded 1,2-diol as a single isomer. The acetonide derived from this 1,2-diol allowed us to determine through X-Ray diffraction analysis the relative stereochemistry of this compound as being 1,2- anti. To finish the synthesis of the polar fragment, the ester group present in the acetonide was reduced to the corresponding aldehyde. The diol also was applied in a high diastereoselective preparation of an azasugar in 4 steps and 32% yield overall. In this work we also describe the synthesis of a carbon chain of the ceramide, our route includes an approach to the apolar fragment obtained by a Grignard reaction; then a Wittig reaction can couple both fragments toward the finalization of the sphingosine¿s synthesis. Our synthetic route can also be used in the preparation of several analogues of the antiepiletic ceramides (AU)