Benzo[C]phenanthidine alkaloids were found to exhibit considerably strong antileukemic activies. These alkaloids have been shown to be biosynthesized from the corresponding alkaloids throung an oxidative $C_6-N$ bond cleavage followed by recyclization between $C_6;and;C_{13}$ position of the protoberberine. Recently we have achieved the biomimetic transformation of protoberberine alkaloid, berberine into benzo[C]phenanthridine alkaloid, chelerythrine.