Abstract
The Development of new asymmetric induction methods useful for syntheses of biologically active natural products and drugs, using C4-chiral 1,3-th-iazolidine-2-thiones, has been a recent focus of interest. 1-8) The present account describes the significance of particular heterocycles in the synthetic development of new 1${\beta}$-substituted carbapenems. A fungal metabolite, (＋)-thienamycin (1) has attracted one's attention as a hopeful candidate for new-generation antibiotic drugs because of its strong antimicrobial activities and wide antimicrobial spectra due to the extensive inhibition against various ${\beta}$-lactamases. However, it has been serious problems toward a practically useful drug that (＋)-thienamycin is fairly labile in the solution and can be metabolized by renal dehydropept- idase-I (DHP-I). Recently, a Merck Sharp ＆ Dohme research group exploited a non-natural ${\beta}$-lactam, imipenem (2) which has been appeared in the drug market as the first carbapenem-type antibiotic drug. 9) However 2 must be used with a DHP-I inhibitor, cilastatin sodium (3).9) Thus, a 1,${\beta}$-methyl- carbapenem derivative 4 has been disclosed by the same group. 10) It seems to be more hopeful candidate as a new-generation antibiotic because it can directly resist against metabolism by the renal DHP-1 without an enzyme inhibitor 3. 10)