Synthesis and gastrointestinal pharmacology of the 4-fluoro analogue of enisoprost.

A 4-fluoro analogue of enisoprost was prepared and evaluated for gastric antisecretory and mucosal protective activity in animals. The synthesis centered upon cuprate chemistry but also involved a Wittig reaction to produce a cis fluoro olefinic moiety, a furan rearrangement/isomerization reaction to provide the necessary hydroxycyclopentenone, and a two-carbon-homologation procedure. The fluoro analogue was much less potent as a gastric antisecretory and mucosal protective agent than enisoprost.