Reinvestigation of Mycothiazole Reveals the Penta-2,4-dien-1-ol Residue Imparts Picomolar Potency and 8S Configuration

Reinvestigation of mycothiazole (1) revealed picomolar potency (IC₅₀ = 0.00016, 0.00027, 0.00035 μM) against pancreatic, (PANC-1), liver (HepG2), and colon (HCT-116) tumor cell lines. Reevaluation of 1 provided [α]_D data indicating Vanuatu specimens of C. mycofijiensis contain the 8S enantiomer of 1 and not the 8R configuration previously reported. Semisynthesis provided 8-O-acetylmycothiazole (2), 8-oxomycothiazole (8), mycothiazole nitrosobenzene derivatives (MND1, MND2: 9a, 9b), and MND3 (10) with IC₅₀ = 0.00129, >1.0, >1.0, >1.0, >1.0 μM, respectively, against PANC-1 cell lines. These results highlight the significance of the penta-2,4-dien-1-ol residue as a key structural feature of 1 required for its cytotoxicty against tumor cell lines.