Structure, biological activity, and a biomimetic partial synthesis of the lirofolines, novel pentacylic indole alkaloids from Tabernaemontana

Two new pentacyclic indole alkaloids, lirofolines A and B, possessing a novel rearranged ibogan ring system, are obtained from two Malayan Tabernaemontana species (Tabernaemontana corymbosa and Tabernaemontana divaricata) and the structures are established by analysis of the spectroscopic data. A biomimetic partial synthesis of lirofoline A from ibogaine via the Polonovski reaction is carried out. Lirofolines A and B showed significant activity in reversing multidrug resistance in vincristine-resistant KB cells (IC50 3.4 and 7.5 μg/ml, respectively).