A BRIEF SURVEY OF THE SYNTHESIS AND BIOACTIVITY OF PYRROLOCARBAZOLES,AN EMERGING CLASS OF CONDENSED HETEROCYCLES

Pyrrolocarbazoles arising out of the condensation of the a, b and c bo nds of carbazoles and 2,3 and 3,4 bonds of pyrroles have been recently synthesized by different routes, the Diels-Alder cyclization being th e prime avenue. One pyrrolocarbazole has also been isolated from a mar ine sponge. Many of these compounds display a variety of bioactivities including anticancer, antidiabetic, neurotrophic and protein kinase i nhibitory properties. The reported syntheses of the various members of this important class of heterocycles have been briefly reviewed.