Biosynthetic Pathways for Rebeccamycin Family of Natural Products

The isolation of Rebeccamycin, a family of indolocarbazole alkaloids from natural sources, and the biosynthesis of this class of compounds are briefly reviewed. Rebeccamycin and its analogues have been extensively studied by medicinal chemists, over the last four decades, due to its wide range of biological activities, predominantly with neuroprotective and antitumor properties.