Competent Route to Unsymmetric Dimer Architectures: Total Syntheses of (−)-Lycodine and (−)-Complanadines A and B, and Evaluation of Their Neurite Outgrowth Activities

Abstract

Valuable synthetic routes to the Lycopodium alkaloid lycodine (1) and its unsymmetric dimers, complanadines A (4) and B (5), have been developed. Regioselective construction of the bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane core structure of lycodine was achieved by a remote functionality‐controlled Diels–Alder reaction and subsequent intramolecular Mizoroki–Heck reaction. A key coupling reaction of the lycodine units, pyridine N‐oxide (66) and aryl bromide (65), through C−H arylation at the C1 position of 66 provided the unsymmetric dimer structure at a late stage of the synthesis. This strategy greatly simplified the construction of the dimeric architecture and functionalization. Complanadines A (4) and B (5) were synthesized by adjusting the oxidation level of the bipyridine mono‐N‐oxide (67). The diverse utility of this common intermediate (67) suggests a possible biosynthetic pathway of complanadines in Nature. Both enantiomers of lycodine (1) and complanadines A (4) and B (5) were prepared in sufficient quantities for biological evaluation. The effect on neuron differentiation of PC‐12 cells upon treatment with culture medium, in which human astrocytoma cells had been cultured in the presence of 1, 4, or 5 was evaluated.