Towards the Synthesis of Batrachotoxin-Formation of Alkynyl Stannanes

Abstract

Batrachotoxin, isolated from frogs belonging to the genus Phyllobates, is a very potent neurotoxin and a steroidal alkaloid that has been found to block the Na+ channels in nerves and muscles resulting in arrhythmias or cardiac arrest leading to death. Research on this toxin is limited due to difficult isolation but many attempts have been made towards its total and partial synthesis. The present work indicates our efforts towards the formation of steroidal skeleton of this neurotoxin in high/improved yield by employing radical mediated cyclization which led to many interesting results. The successful model study towards the formation of the steroidal skeleton is also reported here.