Preface

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview on Gelsemium alkaloids. It focuses on two areas: the isolation of new alkaloids, including several with new skeleta, and the very substantial and highly successful efforts at synthesis of the principal alkaloids through both biomimetic and total synthesis. One class of alkaloids, those containing quinolinequinone or quinolinequinoneimine moieties, is unusual because representative members of the series have been isolated from plant, fungal, and marine sources based on their potent biological activities. The chapter discusses the exciting growth in the number of structures deduced in the past few years and the intense efforts to synthesize the biologically active members. Advances in the understanding of the biogenesis of these metabolites are also discussed. The chapter summarizes the tremendous progress achieved in the past twenty years in the use of cell culture systems to delineate and express the pathway of monterpene indole alkaloid biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus. Finally, the chapter reviews the various macrocyclic peptide alkaloids isolated from plants.