A Chemo-Enzymatic Expeditious Route to Racemic Dihexanoyl (2R, 3R, 4R)-Dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomycin (DHMEQ), the Precursor for Lipase-Catalyzed Synthesis of the Potent Nuclear Factor-κB Inhibitor, (2S, 3S, 4S)-DHMEQ

In order to synthesize the potent nuclear factor (NF)-κB inhibitor, (2S, 3S, 4S)-dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomycin (DHMEQ), in a large scale, a new route for its corresponding racemic precursor, dihexanoyl (2R*, 3R*, 4R*)-DHMEQ, was developed. By employing both hydroquinone and benzoquinone intermediates, the total yield, reproducibility, and synthetic steps were improved and the synthetic cost was reduced.