Certain polyprenyl intermediates

摘要

Novel polyprenyl compounds have the general formula: <IMAGE> (I) <IMAGE> <IMAGE> +TR <IMAGE> represents a cis-isoprene unit, n is an integer of 11-19, Z1 is -CH2OH or a functional precursor thereof, and either one of R1 and R2 is a hydrogen atom and the other is -S(O)mR3 in which m is an integer of 0 (zero), 1 or 2 and R3 is a phenyl, naphthyl, pyridyl or thiazolinyl group or such group substituted with at least one lower alkyl and/or halogen substituent. The topic novel polyprenyl compounds can be synthesized from derivatives of the polyprenol which is obtainable from leaves of Ginkgo biloba or Cedrus deodara, among others, by extraction, if necessary followed by hydrolytic treatment. The novel polyprenyl compounds can be converted to mammalian dolichols or precursors thereof by reductive elimination of the -S(O)mR3 group.