Galantamine is a natural, tertiary amarylidacea alkaloid originally isolated from the bulbs of snowdrop and Narcissus species. Recently, a synthetic version of the reversible competitive AChEI has been developed.

How is galantamine synthesized?

The total synthesis of galanthamine (Trost 2005) is described as follows: the sequence starts by bromination by electrophilic aromatic substitution of isovanillin 1 to bromophenol 2, then by synthesis of the second intermediate 5 by reacting dialdehyde 3 in a coupled aldol reaction and Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction ...

How long has galantamine been around?

Galantamine was developed as a centrally acting and neuromuscular drug in the 1960s, exploiting its cholinergic activity. Positive effects on artificially impaired human cognition were reported in 1977, but systematic redevelopment as a drug for Alzheimer's disease did not commence until the early 1990s.