Four enantiomerically pure monoseco-analogues, 5, 7, 9, and 11, of the phenanthroquinolizidine alkaloid julandine (1) and four of congener cryptopleurine (2), viz. compounds 6, 8, 10, and 12, have been prepared and subjected to preliminary biological evaluation. These analogues show dramatically reduced cytotoxicity compared with the parent system 2 but they are, nevertheless, potent anti-angiogenic agents.
