Synthesis of polyhydroxylated flavonoids bearing a lipophilic decyl tail as potential therapeutic antioxidants

Antioxidants have potential for the treatment of stroke and neurodegeneration, and chimeric compounds that combine a flavon-3-ol head group related to myricetin and a lipophilic decyl tail are known to protect membranes from oxidative damage at least as well as vitamin E. New flavon-3-ols that are highly hydroxylated in the B ring in ways not found in natural flavon-3-ols and bearing a lipophilic decyl tail have been prepared from trimethoxy-and tetramethoxybenzoic acids accessed by lithiation-carboxylation reactions. Direct enolate acylation was preferred over Baker-Venkataraman rearrangement when there were methoxy groups at both the 2-and the 6-position of the benzoic acid derivatives.