Recent Total Syntheses of Cephalotaxine-Type Alkaloids (2016-2021)

Over the past decades, scientists have obtained a diverse range of interesting natural products, including alkaloids, terpenoids, and flavonoids from the genus Cephalotaxus. Among them, cephalotaxine-type alkaloids have attracted considerable attention from chemists because of their intriguing pentacyclic structures as well as the diversity of naturally occurring analogs. Notably, homoharringtonine (Trade name: Synribo (R)) is a pharmaceutical drug, which was approved by the FDA in 2012 for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia, implying that cephalotaxine-type alkaloids have medicinal value. Since the first total synthesis of cephalotaxine, almost 70 total syntheses of cephalotaxine-type alkaloids have been reported, involving various synthetic methodologies. Because of their potential as molecular platforms for the development of organic chemistry, the total synthesis of cephalotaxine-type alkaloids has been extensively studied. This review focuses on the recent 10 total syntheses of cephalotaxine-type alkaloids reported in the period, 2016-2021. In addition, synthetic hallmarks, such as common synthetic routes and ring-opening features of this class, were also addressed.

Automated summary

The review focuses on the recent 10 total syntheses of cephalotaxine-type alkaloids reported from 2016 to 2021, highlighting synthetic hallmarks and common synthetic routes of this class, revealing the forefront of research in organic chemistry.