Six-step synthesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition–inhibitory activity of a tetralone-based vitetrifolin analog

We synthesized a vitetrifolin analog in which the A-ring was replaced with a benzene ring, in 6 steps from commercially available 2-methyl-1-tetralone. Similarly to vitetrifolin D, this analog suppressed the phorbol ester-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition. This tetralone-based structural simplification strategy is expected to be applicable to studies on not only vitetrifolins but also other halimane-type diterpenoids.