Total Synthesis and Anti-Viral Activities of an Extract of Radix isatidis

• Main Authors: Li-Wei He, Hua-Qing Liu, Yu-Qing Chen, Jing-Yan Yang, Tian-Lin Wang, Wei Li
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2014-12-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: Radix isatidis; isoquinoline derivative; anti-viral activity
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/19/12/20906

Radix isatidis (Banlangen), a famous traditional Chinese medicine, has been used for thousands of years in China due to its anti-viral activity. Through our research, we inferred that the anti-viral activity of Radix isatidis depended on the water-soluble part. Among the components of this extract, the isoquinoline derivative 1 was isolated for the first time and has shown better anti-viral activity than other constituents. In this study, to solve the problem of sourcing sufficient quantities of compound 1, a total synthesis route is described, and several analogues are also evaluated for their anti-viral activities. Among them, compound 8 shown potent anti-viral activity with an IC50 value of 15.3 µg/mL. The results suggested that isoquinoline derivatives possessed potent anti-viral activity and are worthy further development.