First Total Synthesis and in Vitro Cytotoxicities of Flavesines G and J

The first total synthesis of flavesines G and J, natural products exhibiting antiviral activity against hepatitis B virus, is described. A robust, protecting-group-free route starting from commercially available natural product 9-azajulolidine allowed us to obtain the title compounds in a four- and five-step sequence accordingly. Flavesines G and J exhibit micromolar cytotoxicity in A549, MCF-7, HepG2, PANC-1, and HL-60 cancer cell lines.