C17-polyacetylenic alcohols of the toxic plant, Cicuta virosa, virols A (1), B (2), and C (3) were synthesized by stereoselective routes to confirm their stereochemistry and to obtain supply of these compounds for pharmacological study. The syntheses used chiral 3-hydroxy-1-alkyne building blocks, Pd(0)-CuI(I)-catalyzed coupling of acetylene with vinyl chloride, and heterocoupling reaction of acetylene mediated
A series of acyclic enediynes, 2-((6-substituted)-3-hexen- 1,5-diynyl)benzonitriles (8-11), display potent inhibition against topoisomerase I without the formation of active biradical intermediates and show inhibitory activity against topoisomerase I at 10 muM, which is five times that of camptothecin from the results of agarose gel electrophoresis. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.