Stemona alkaloids, featuring polycyclic structures and interesting bioactivities, constitute a distinct class from the Stemonaceae family. In this review, recent advances in the synthesis of these unique alkaloids are briefly discussed, highlighting the application of novel synthetic strategies to access the core structures, as well as creative solutions to the installation of multiple stereogenic centers. The literature reviewed in this article covers the publications from 2010 to November 2014, a period that witnessed the prosperity of the synthesis of Stemona alkaloids.
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During the evaluation of the manuscript, a paper concerning the synthesis of another two stemofoline-type alkaloids was published, see: HuangPQ, HuangSY, GaoLH, MaoZY, ChangZ, WangAE. (2015) Enantioselective total synthesis of (+)-methoxystemofoline and (+)-isomethoxystemofoline. Chemical Communications, 51, 4576–4578.
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