Total synthesis of ciguatoxin CTX3C, a causative toxin of ciguatera seafood poisoning

More than 20,000 people suffer annually from ciguatera seafood poisoning in subtropical and tropical regions. The extremely low content of the causative neurotoxins, designated as ciguatoxins, in fish has hampered the isolation, detailed biological studies, and preparation of anti-ciguatoxin antibodies for detecting these toxins. Furthermore, the large (3 nanometer long) and complicated molecular structure of ciguatoxins has impeded chemists from completing their total synthesis. In 2001, our highly convergent strategic approach enabled the total synthesis of ciguatoxin CTX3C through assembling the four structural fragments. In this account, we describe the updated version of the total synthesis, where the yields and practicality are greatly improved. The high efficiency of the present synthesis ensures a supply of ciguatoxins for biomedical applications.