The Iboga Alkaloids.
Progress in the chemistry of organic natural products January 1, 2017 Catherine Lavaud, Georges Massiot 42 citations
Iboga alkaloids, a class of indolomonoterpenes with an isoquinuclidine nucleus, first appeared in the roots of the Gabonese sacred plant Tabernanthe iboga. Ibogaine, the main representative, has psychoactive properties and has been proposed for treating addiction to opioids, cocaine, and alcohol. Its development is hampered by legal restrictions, but 18-methoxycoronaridine is under evaluation for similar uses and for leishmaniasis. This chapter reviews biosynthesis (still a 'black box' for the key construction step), newly discovered monomeric and dimeric alkaloids, analytical tools, synthetic progress, and biological properties, focusing on ibogaine and 18-methoxycoronaridine.