Covering: up to the end of 2011 This review covers classical and modern structural modifications of the alkaloid, the more recent (since 2007) syntheses of cytisine and analogues, and the pharmacology of these compounds, with emphasis on their interactions with nicotinic receptors. 89 references are cited.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are a family of ligand-gated nonselective cationic channels that participate in fundamental physiological processes at both the central and the peripheral nervous system. The extent of calcium entry through ligand-gated ion channels defines their distinct functions. The α9α10 nicotinic cholinergic receptor, expressed in cochlear hair cells, is a peculiar member of the family as it shows differences in the extent of calcium permeability across species. In particular, mammalian α9α10 receptors are among the ligand-gated ion channels which exhibit the highest calcium selectivity. This acquired differential property provides the unique opportunity of studying how protein function was shaped along evolutionary history, by tracking its evolutionary record and experimentally defining the amino acid changes involved. We have applied a molecular evolution approach of ancestral sequence reconstruction, together with molecular dynamics simulations and an evolutionary-based mutagenesis strategy, in order to trace the molecular events that yielded a high calcium permeable nicotinic α9α10 mammalian receptor. Only three specific amino acid substitutions in the α9 subunit were directly involved. These are located at the extracellular vestibule and at the exit of the channel pore and not at the transmembrane region 2 of the protein as previously thought. Moreover, we show that these three critical substitutions only increase calcium permeability in the context of the mammalian but not the avian receptor, stressing the relevance of overall protein structure on defining functional properties. These results highlight the importance of tracking evolutionarily acquired changes in protein sequence underlying fundamental functional properties of ligand-gated ion channels.

A copper-catalyzed regio- and intermolecular aminofluorination of styrenes has been developed. In this reaction Ph-IN-Ts and Et₃N·3HF act as nitrogen and fluorine sources, respectively. The obtained β-fluoro-N-Ts-phenethylamines can be N-alkylated with subsequent deprotection affording the corresponding β-fluoro-N-alkylated phenethylamines, which are interesting building blocks for compounds acting on neuronal targets.