Synthesis and Pharmacological Properties of 5-Alkyl Substituted Nicotine Analogs

This paper describes a concise and practical route to enantiomerically enriched 5-alkyl substituted nicotine analogs. The Vilsmeier reaction was used to construct the nicotinaldehydes ring followed by the introduction of the chiral homoallylic alcohol by organic boron reagent and the cyclization of the pyrrolidine ring through the reduction of a chiral azide. 17 analogs have been synthesized and their corresponding biological activities were tested, in which compounds 10d and 10g exhibit excellent ICs0 values against RD and SY-SY5Y.