We optimized the reaction of tetrahydropyridine ring expansion in 1-aryl-substituted tetrahydro-β-carbolines by the action of activated alkynes and achieved higher than 70% yields of the target indoloazocines. The substituents in the 1-aryl ring and at the indole nitrogen atom were shown to affect the rate and selectivity of this transformation.Indoles fused with medium-sized rings attract the attention of synthetic and medicinal chemists due to their remarkable and diverse biological activity. Azocinoindoles containing two pharmacophore fragments are a part of many alkaloids [1,2]. However, only few methods for the synthesis of azocinoindoles have been described, with multiple stages and low yields of the target products [3]. We have previously proposed a method for the synthesis of tetrahydroazocino[5,4-b]-and tetrahydroazocino[4,5-b]indoles based on a domino reaction of the tetrahydropyridine fragment expansion in β-and γ-carbolines, by using activated alkynes [4,5]. The yields of 6-methyl(isopropyl, benzyl)tetrahydroazocino [5,4-b]indoles in acetonitrile were 40-50%. The reaction in methanol was accompanied by cleavage of the carboline tetrahydropyridine ring with the participation of a methanol molecule [5]. The 6-aryl-substituted tetrahydroazocino[5,4-b]indoles gave only 6-(2-fluorophenyl)-and 6-(4-fluorophenyl)tetrahydroazocinoindoles in the aforementioned domino reaction.In the case of 1-(m-fluorophenyl)-substituted β-carboline transformation by the action of dimethyl ester of acetylene dicarboxylic acid (DMAD) in the presence of indole or 5-methoxyindole, the initial ammonium zwitterion А was shown to undergo cleavage at the С(1)-N bond, giving an "open" cation В. The electrophilic substitution of the latter in indole "trap" produced a diindolylarylmethane [6].Initial biological screening showed that the azocino[5,4-b]-and azocino [4,5-b]indoles are effective inhibitors of acetyl-and butyrylcholine esterases, and can be further developed as drugs against neurodegeneration [5]. Azocines condensed with 4-aminopyrimidine fragment exhibited high cytotoxic activity during the initial screening. However, no chemical transformations of tetrahydroazocinoindoles have been studied thus far.