Natural and Synthetic Decahydroquinolines: Synthesis Strategies and Biological Activity

Abstract

Among saturated fused bicyclic nitrogen heterocycles, decahydroquinolines (DHQs) represent a unique structural moiety for the development of novel therapeutic agents, primarily owing to the rich stereochemical diversity inherent in these frameworks. The therapeutic activities of DHQ derivatives are influenced by the bicycle system's fusion mode and substituent spatial orientation. The development of different synthetic routes to DHQs and their analogues has been done to investigate the influence of their three-dimensional structure on physiological effects and to uncover the conformational and configurational intricacies of these compounds. This review covers the majority of the methods that have been used to synthesize a wide variety of synthetic DHQs and natural DHQ-containing alkaloids. Furthermore, it presents a review of their reported biological functions, which include local anesthetic, analgesic, antiarrhythmic, anti-inflammatory, anticholinergic, spasmolytic, antifungal, and antiviral properties, as well as other properties.