New Insight on the Synthesis of Neurotoxins Domoic Acid and Kainic Acid

Mono or di-substituted prolines, namely proline chimeras of natural or synthetic origin, carry the side chain of other specific amino acids on the pyrrolidine ring. Thus, proline chimeras are useful tools for a wide range of chemical and biological applications as chiral synthons or building blocks for peptidomimetic design. We focused our attention on domoic acid and kainic acid and we report here a concise and up to date review on their stereoselective and asymmetric syntheses.