Cover Feature: Synthesis and Structure‐Activity Relationship Studies of C(13)‐Desmethylene‐(−)‐Zampanolide Analogs (Chem. Eur. J. 36/2023)

The sponge-derived, highly unsaturated marine macrolide (−)-zampanolide is a potent antimitotic agent and cancer cell growth inhibitor. By using a convergent synthetic approach, the shown series of partially reduced and/or demethylated analogs were obtained. Depending on the site of modification, these compounds show a range of microtubule-binding affinities and cellular activities, thus providing new insights into the relative importance of specific double bonds and methyl groups for biological activity. More information can be found in the Research Article by K.-H. Altmann and co-workers (DOI: 10.1002/chem.202300703).