The cryptolactones A1, A2, B1, and B2, which are α,β-unsaturated δ-lactones, were isolated from a Cryptomyzus sp. aphid. The structures were established by 1-D and 2-D NMR spectra and CI-HRMS. Their absolute configurations were determined with the Kusumi-Mosher method, combined with asymmetric total syntheses. The syntheses were accomplished with the Mukaiyama aldol reaction and olefin metathesis, which utilized the second-generation Grubbs catalyst for the key steps. These compounds exhibited cytotoxic activity against human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells with IC50 values of 0.97-5.3 μM.

The cryptolactones A 1 , A 2, B 1 , and B 2 isolated from a Cryptomyzus sp. aphid were synthesized via the Mukaiyama aldol reaction and olefin metathesis. Their antipodes and derivatives were also synthesized by the same strategy to investigate structure-activity relationships. These compounds exhibited cytotoxic activity against human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells with IC 50 values of 2.1-42 µM.