Syntheses of Galbulimima Alkaloids

The bark of the rain forest tree Galbulimima belgraveana has been identified as a rich source of fascinating natural products and so far 28 unique alkaloids have been isolated. The chemical interest in Galbulimima alkaloids started with the discovery of the promising biological activities of himbacine. Fifteen years after the first total synthesis of himbacine, this class of natural product still inspires, with the structurally more complex congeners himandrine, himgaline, and G.B. 13 as highly challenging synthetic targets. This review article summarizes and discusses all syntheses of Galbulimima alkaloids published to date.