A Comprehensive Review on the Total Synthesis of Antibacterial Furanomycin and Its Analogs

l-(+)-Furanomycin 1 is a miniature antibacterial natural product that contains an α-amino acid core. This non-proteinogenic α-amino acid was first isolated in 1967 by Katagiri and co-workers from the fermentation broth of Streptomyces threomyceticus L-803 (ATCC 15795). It is a substrate of isoleucyl aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase that replaces isoleucine in the protein translation process and exhibits antibacterial properties in vitro. It effectively acts as an antibacterial agent against M. tuberculosis, E. coli, B. subtilis, and some Shigella and Salmonella bacterial species at concentrations as low as the micromolar range. Consequently, synthetic chemists have garnered considerable interest from their specific structure–activity profile, distinctive chemical compositions, and distinct biological profile. This review comprehensively describes cutting-edge synthetic methodologies for synthesizing furanomycin and its analogs reported to date. Therefore, this review will offer an initial perspective on synthesizing furanomycin and its customized compounds.