The previously unknown stereoisomers
3,
4,
ent-
1, and
ent-
4 of the tris(pyrrolidinoindoline) alkaloidshodgkinsine (
1) and hodgkinsine B (
2) were prepared by stereocontrolled total synthesis. In each synthesis,a catalyst-controlled intramolecular Heck reaction was the key step in appending a third
cis-pyrrolidinoindoline ring to a hexacyclic chimonanthine precursor. Results of the preliminary evaluationof these hodgkinsine stereoisomers in the tail flick and capsaicin pain models are reported.