Enediynes are natural products with highly active cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity, and thus have significant potential in the development of anti-cancer treatments. However, they are not readily available and can degrade rapidly during isolation; one solution is to produce them using total synthesis.Dynemicin A and uncialamycin are two such enediynes, with similar structures, for which total synthesis has been achieved. This book presents the isolation and preparation of these two compounds and their analogues through various synthesis strategies. Details of the structural elements essential to their anti-cancer activity are presented, with the objective of explaining and optimizing their biological activities and potential development as drugs.
