The synthesis of methyl 4-(2-octadecylcyclopropen-l-yl)butanoate: a possible inhibitor in mycolic acid biosynthesis
摘要:
The high molecular weight 2-alkyl-3-hydroxy mycolic acids are key structural components of the cell envelope of pathogenic mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It has been shown recently that (Z)-tetracos-5-enoic acid is a key initial intermediate in mycolic acid biosynthesis in extracts of Mycobacterium smegmatis. This acid is presumably for-med by desaturation of tetracosanoate, and previous studies on oleic acid biosynthesis suggest that a cyclopropene analogue may be a potential inhibitor. This communication describes the synthesis of methyl 4-(2-octadecylcyclopropen-1-yl)butanoate, which is shown elsewhere to be an inhibitor of the initial stages of mycolic acid synthesis.