Total Synthesis of Marine Eicosanoid (-)-Hybridalactone

(-)-Hybridalactone (1) is a marine eicosanoid isolated from the red alga Laurencia hybrida. This natural product contains cyclopropane, cyclopentane, 13-membered macrolactone and epoxide ring systems incorporating seven stereogenic centers. Moreover, this compound has an acid-labile skipped Z,Z-diene motif. In this paper, we report on the total synthesis of (-)-hybridalactone (1). The unique eicosanoid (-)-hybridalactone (1) was synthesized starting from optically active ?-butyrolactone 2 in a linear sequence comprising 21 steps with an overall yield of 21.9?%. A key step in the synthesis of (-)-hybridalactone (1) is the methyl phenylsulfonylacetate-mediated one-pot synthesis of the cis-cyclopropane-?-lactone derivative. This reaction provided an efficient and stereoselective access to cis-cyclopropane-?-lactone 12. Further elaboration of the latter compounds through desulfonylation, epoxidation, oxidation, Wittig olefination and Shiina macrolactonization afforded (-)-hybridalactone.