An Overview of the Synthesis of Biologically Active Cyclodepsipeptides

Abstract Cyclodepsipeptide are a class of natural cyclic peptides that have a wide range of biological activities, hence the potential to be developed as new drug candidates. Cyclodpesipeptides comprise a backbone of amide bonds and at least one ester moiety, thus are complex and challenging to synthesis. Generally, cyclodepsipeptides are synthesised via solid‐phase peptide synthesis, solution‐phase or a combination of solid and solution‐phase. Currently, solid‐phase peptide synthesis is more in demand, but it also has several challenges in its application especially for the cyclodepsipeptide that contains N ‐methylated residues, as well as solution‐phase peptide synthesis tends to have a longer reaction step. Therefore, the combination of solid and solution‐phase peptide synthesis is a better alternative. This review discusses the synthetic strategies for cyclodepsipeptides including the preparation of precursor and macrocyclization.