Enantioselective Total Syntheses of Cassane Furanoditerpenoids and their Stimulation of Cellular Respiration in Brown Adipocytes

We report the first and enantioselective total syntheses of (+)-1-deacetylcaesalmin C, (+)-δ-caesalpin, (+)-norcaesalpinin MC, and (+)-norcaesalpinin P. Salient features of the synthetic strategy are exo-selective intramolecular Diels–Alder reaction of a furanoquinone monoketal and subsequent chemoselective reduction of the resulting pentacyclic furfuryl ketal furnishing a keystone intermediate. The latter enables access to the collection of natural products through implementation of stereoselective oxidations. Having accessed the cassane furanoditerpenoids, we unveil previously unknown bioactivity: (+)-1-Deacetylcaesalmin C stimulates respiration in brown adipocytes, which has been suggested to play a central role in treatment of obesity.