Our recent work as dedicated to the synthesis of marine oxylipins discovered in brown algae, namely Ecklonialactones, Eiseniachlorides and Egregiachlorides. A first approach was used and allowed the access to Ecklonialactones and Eiseniachlorides, but no Egregiachlorides. For more detail see our publication n° 150, link.

While working on Ecklonialactones and Eiseniachlorides, ectocarpins and plasmodiophorols oxylipins were discovered in brown algae Ectocarpus siliculosus and a  protozoan fungi Plasmodiophora brassicae, respectively. With their structures close to the Egregiachlorides discovered in the late 90's, we decided to focus our effort to their synthesis. This work in ongoing in the lab.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are highly prone to oxidation and Nature revealed to be an extensive source of oxidase enzymes and in marine environment especially the lipoxygenases. Lipoxygenases will first lead to the formation of hydroperoxide intermediates that might later be taken by other enzymatic pathways, leading to a myriad and diversify oxylipin structures. Among them, Sacrolide A and Mueggelone feature microcycles (10-membered and 14-membered ring respectively). Such marine oxylipins were extracted from edible cyanobacterium Aphanothece sacrum or bloom-foaming strain of Aphanizomenon flos-aquae respectively and seems to be interesting anti-microbial or cytotoxic agents.