Used primarily as a synthetic intermediate in the preparation of complex natural product derivatives, particularly in the synthesis of bioactive terpenoids and steroidal analogs. Its functional groups, including the ester with mesylate moiety, hydroxyl, and vinyl groups, allow for selective modifications in multi-step organic syntheses. The mesylate serves as an excellent leaving group for nucleophilic substitutions, while the vinyl group enables further transformations such as epoxidation or dihydroxylation, making it valuable in medicinal chemistry for building molecular complexity. It is also employed in structure-activity relationship studies due to its rigid polycyclic framework, which mimics core structures found in biologically active compounds.