Mycothiol （MSH） is the major low molecular weight thiol in most actinomycetes. Chemical synthesis of MSH is of value for enzymology and inhibitor screening assays, but is hampered by difficulties in large scale sysnthesis. We achieved the total synthesis of MSH by linking 2-camphanoyl-3,4,5,6-tetra-O-benzyl-D-rnyo-inositol （D-1） and 2-deoxy-2-azido-3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl- 1-p-toluene-thio-o-glucoside （2） first, followed by coupling with N-Boc-S-acetyl-L-cysteine （3）. This route of synthesis allowed the efficient and convenient synthesis of mycothiol on a large scale.
