Brevetoxin

Brevetoxin, or brevetoxins, are a suite of cyclic polyether compounds produced naturally by a species of dinoflagellate known as Karenia brevis. Brevetoxins are neurotoxins that bind to voltage-gated sodium channels in nerve cells, leading to disruption of normal neurological processes and causing the illness clinically described as Neurotoxic Shellfish Poisoning (NSP).

Other Brevetoxins:
 * Brevetoxin-5 (PbTx-5): like PbTx-3, but acetylated hydroxyl group in position 38.
 * Brevetoxin-6 (PbTx-6): like PbTx-2, but double bond 27-28 is epoxidated.

Brevetoxin-2 was synthesized in 1995 by K.C. Nicolau and coworkers in 123 steps with 91% average yield (final yield ~9·10-6).