Rocaglamide is a natural product which belongs to a class of molecules called flavaglines.[1][2] This compound was isolated in 1982 by Ming-Lu King (金明儒) and colleagues based on its antileukemic activity.[3] The name of Rocaglamide is named from two parts: Roc- and aglamide. Roc- means Republic of China (中華民國), where this product was first isolated; aglamide indicates this product is isolated from Large-leaved Aglaia (Scientific name: Aglaia rimosa[4]). Like other flavaglines, rocaglamide displays potent insecticidal, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities. Rocaglamide A (RocA) inhibits eukaryotic translation initiation by binding to the translation initiation factoreIF4A and converting it into a translational repressor.[5]
Rocaglamide was first synthesized by Barry Trost in 1990.[6] Although other syntheses have been described since, Trost’s remains the only one to afford rocaglamide in an enantio-specific manner.
^Ribeiro N, Thuaud F, Nebigil C, Désaubry L (March 2012). "Recent advances in the biology and chemistry of the flavaglines". Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry. 20 (6): 1857–64. doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2011.10.048. PMID22071525.
^King ML, Chiang CC, Ling HC, Fujita E, Ochiai M, McPhail AT (1992). "X-Ray crystal structure of rocaglamide, a novel antileukemic 1H-cyclopenta[b]benzofuran from Aglaia elliptifolia". Chem. Commun. (20): 1150–1. doi:10.1039/c39820001150.
^Trost BM, Greenspan PD, Yang BV, Saulnier MG (November 1990). "An unusual oxidative cyclization. A synthesis and absolute stereochemical assignment of (−)-rocaglamide". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 112 (24): 9022–4. doi:10.1021/ja00180a081.
