Pyrrole Strategy for the γ-Lactam-Containing Stemona Alkaloids: (±)Stemoamide, (±)Tuberostemoamide, and (±)Sessilifoliamide A

Stemona alkaloids contain family members with diverse structural scaffolds. Many of them feature a γ-lactam ring embedded in their characteristic 5–7–5 fused tricyclic core. Herein a pyrrole strategy was developed to enable the total syntheses of three Stemona alkaloids: (±)stemoamide, (±)tuberostemoamide, and (±)sessilifoliamide A. In these cases, a substituted pyrrole was used as the γ-lactam precursor. A sequential pyrrole oxidation and enamide reduction were realized to convert the pyrrole to the corresponding γ-lactam in those three natural products. The use of a pyrrole in an early stage of the synthesis offers the advantage of rapid construction of the key intermediates by exploiting its nucleophilicity.