Spiro scaffolds: synthetic strategies and pharmacological activities

Many polycyclic compounds have been reported to possess a significant pharmacological activity, among them spirocyclic derivatives. Natural alkaloids containing spiro-carbons are widely distributed in nature and exhibit diverse pharmacological properties, such as antitumor, antimycobacterial, antitubercular, antimalarial, and antimicrobial activities, and others demonstrated by theoretical studies, such as molecular docking. In addition to their medical uses, some spirocompounds find applications in agriculture and industry practices. This review is an endeavor to highlight the current methods to synthesize spirocyclic compounds and their pharmacological interests reported since the end of the twentieth century.