The first total synthesis and neurotrophic activity of clusiparalicoline A, a prenylated and geranylated biaryl from Clusia paralicola

The first synthesis of clusiparalicoline A, a prenylated and geranylated biphenyl compound isolated from the roots of Clusia paralicola, has been achieved by applying the sequential palladium-catalyzed Stille and Suzuki reactions to the formation of all the C-C bonds on electron-rich aryl bromide and triflate. Clusiparalicoline A has been found to exhibit a potent neurite outgrowth promoting activity at 1.0 muM in a primary culture of fetal rat cortical neurons. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.