A total of 20 l-ascorbic acid-conjugated pentacyclic triterpene derivatives were synthesized.
The anti-influenza activities of those conjugates were evaluated.
Compound 30 displayed the highest anti-influenza A/WSN/33 (H1N1) activity with an IC50 at 8.7 µM.
Mechanistic studies indicated that compound 30 could tightly bind with HA protein (KD = 3.76 μM).