Synthesis of caged Garcinia xanthone analogues

A new synthetic strategy is developed toward the synthesis of the caged Garcinia xanthone analogues. The key to the strategy is a Pd-catalyzed reverse prenylation reaction. This new synthetic approach provides a rapid and efficient access to various caged analogues, including cluvenone which is known to induce apoptosis and exhibit significant cytotoxicity in various cancer cell lines. Evaluation of their growth inhibitory activities also leads to identification of the pharmacophoric motif of the caged Garcinia xanthones.