Stable solid-supported leucoanthocyanidin variants for flavanoid biosynthesis elucidation

Remarkable progress toward the complete elucidation of the biosynthesis of flavanoids has been accomplished during the last decade, but the final steps presumably involving the transformation of leucoanthocyanidins, which are highly unstable when free in aqueous solution, into both anthocyanidins and proanthocyanidins still remain to be fully understood. Herein is described the synthesis of stabilized solid-supported leucoanthocyanidin variants that should serve as valuable tools for in vitro studies aimed at investigating the metabolism of these seemingly fleeting common precursors of two main classes of flavanoids.