Recent developments on synthesis and biological activities of γ-carboline

Abstract γ-Carboline alkaloids are a family of natural and synthetic agents that have diverse bioactivities including antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, neuropharmacological activities and so on. They constitute an important class of pharmacologically active scaffolds that exhibit biological activity via diverse mechanisms. This review provides an update on the recent developments (2010–2017) in the synthesis and biological activities of these compounds. In cases where sufficient information is available, the mechanism and the structure–activity relationship (SAR) of biological activity are presented, and based on our expertise in the field and careful analysis of the recent literature, for the potential of γ -carboline alkaloids as medicinal drugs is proposed.