Stereoselective synthesis of the 1,N2-deoxyguanosine adducts of cinnamaldehyde. A stereocontrolled route to deoxyguanosine adducts of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

α,β-Unsaturated aldehydes (enals) react with deoxyguanosine and have mutagenic potential. For higher enals, the reaction of deoxyguanosine gives diastereomeric 6-substituted 8-hydroxypyrimidopurinone products. These stereoisomers may have different local conformations in DNA, which may have biological consequences. We have developed a stereospecific synthesis of 1,N2-deoxyguanosine adducts of cinnamaldehyde. The key step is the synthesis is a metal-promoted intramolecular C–H insertion reaction of nitrogen of an enantiomerically pure sulfamate ester. The approach may be general for the stereocontrolled synthesis of this class of DNA adducts and can be applied to the preparation of site-specifically adducted oligonucleotides.