A new pyrrolizidine alkaloid, cremastrine (1), was isolated from the bulbs of Cremastra appendiculata. Its configuration was determined by spectroscopic and chemical analyses. Compound 1 inhibited the binding of tritium-labeled N-methylscopolamine to the muscarinic M3 receptor with a K(i) value of
In this Letter, we describe the first total synthesis of cremastrine, a pyrrolizidine alkaloid from Cremastra appendiculata, with anticholinergic activity as well as an unnatural analogue. The streamlined synthesis proceeds in 9 steps, 7 steps longest linear sequence, in 25.2% overall yield, and