Resolution and biological activities of optical isomers of 1,4-diethyl-3,6-epidithiopiperazine-2,5-dione

Epipolythiopiperazine-2,5-diones (ETPs) are an important class of biologically active fungal metabolites. We have successfully synthesised and resolved racemic 1,4-diethyl-3,6-epidithiopiperazine-2,5-dione using chiral HPLC. The biological activities of the enantiomers were investigated to determine the correlation between biological activity and chirality at the bridgehead carbons.