Total syntheses of nobilamides B and D: application of traceless Staudinger ligation

Nobilamide B is a long-acting antagonist of transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV1), and is expected to show therapeutic potential for treatment of pain. This linear heptapeptide possesses a Z-didehydroaminobutanoic acid moiety at the C-terminus. Stereoselective construction of the didehydroamino acid moiety was successfully achieved by application of the traceless Staudinger ligation. The combination of solid-phase peptide synthesis and the Staudinger ligation allowed rapid access to not only nobilamide B, but also its macrocyclic analogue nobilamide D.