Haifeng Wu

Bio: Haifeng Wu is an academic researcher from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The author has contributed to research in topics: Ochratoxin & Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 3 publications receiving 9 citations. Previous affiliations of Haifeng Wu include Peking Union Medical College.

Recent advances in natural anti‐HIV triterpenoids and analogs

Abstract: The human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic is one of the world's most serious health challenges. Although combination antiretroviral therapy provides effective viral suppression, current medicines used against HIV cannot completely eradicate the infectious disease and often have associated toxicities and severe side effects in addition to causing drug resistance. Therefore, the continued development of new antiviral agents with diverse structures and novel mechanisms of action remains a vital need for the management of HIV/AIDS. Natural products are an important source of drug discovery, and certain triterpenes and their analogs have demonstrated potential as pharmaceutical precursors for the treatment of HIV. Over the past decade, natural triterpenoids and analogs have been extensively studied to find new anti-HIV drugs. This review discusses the anti-HIV triterpenoids and analogs reported during the period of 2009-2019. The article includes not only a comprehensive review of the recent anti-HIV agent development from the perspective of medicinal chemistry, but also discusses structure-activity relationship analyses of the described triterpenoids.

Method for preparing ochratoxin B

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for preparing ochratoxin B, wherein the ochratoxin B is obtained by separating and purifying the rice culture of ochratoxin high-yield strains through applying antiphase medium-pressure preparation chromatography, gel LH-20 column chromatography, antiphase high-pressure preparation chromatography and other technologies. The technology is simple, the yield is improved, the cost is reduced, and the industrial production is greatly benefited.

Method for preparing aflatoxin B1

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for preparing aflatoxin B1, wherein the aflatoxin B1 is obtained from separating and purifying the rice culture of aflatoxin high-production strains through applying normalphase silicagel column chromatographic technique, the method is simple, the yield is high, the cost is reduced, and the industrial production is greatly benefited.

Natural products and synthetic analogues against HIV: A perspective to develop new potential anti-HIV drugs.

Abstract: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is responsible for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), one of the major pandemic diseases. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is the standard HIV-treatment regimen that usually comprises a combination of three or more antiretroviral drugs. HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitors are the main HAART target, which involves the use of both nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). However, compounds affecting other aspects of HIV replication, such as virus entry and fusion or important viral enzymes, such as integrases and proteases, have also been developed. Natural compounds from different sources, like plants, microbial and marine organisms, showed promising anti-HIV activities to the point of establishing the basis for developing new drugs. Indeed, natural compounds-based therapies have the potential to become more efficient than conventional HAART, with less or no side effects. This review aims to gather and discuss the current information about the anti-HIV activity of natural and synthetic compounds, their history and mechanism of action as well as the role of plants and their bioactive compounds as a source of new anti-HIV drugs.

Chemical Strategies towards the Synthesis of Betulinic Acid and Its More Potent Antiprotozoal Analogues

Abstract: Betulinic acid (BA, 3β-hydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid) is a pentacyclic triterpene acid present predominantly in Betula ssp. (Betulaceae) and is also widely spread in many species belonging to different plant families. BA presents a wide spectrum of remarkable pharmacological properties, such as cytotoxic, anti-HIV, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antimicrobial activities, including antiprotozoal effects. The present review first describes the sources of BA and discusses the chemical strategies to produce this molecule starting from betulin, its natural precursor. Next, the antiprotozoal properties of BA are briefly discussed and the chemical strategies for the synthesis of analogues displaying antiplasmodial, antileishmanial and antitrypanosomal activities are systematically presented. The antiplasmodial activity described for BA was moderate, nevertheless, some C-3 position acylated analogues showed an improvement of this activity and the hybrid models-with artesunic acid-showed the most interesting properties. Some analogues also presented more intense antileishmanial activities compared with BA, and, in addition to these, heterocycles fused to C-2/C-3 positions and amide derivatives were the most promising analogues. Regarding the antitrypanosomal activity, some interesting antitrypanosomal derivatives were prepared by amide formation at the C-28 carboxylic group of the lupane skeleton. Considering that BA can be produced either by isolation of different plant extracts or by chemical transformation of betulin, easily obtained from Betula ssp., it could be said that BA is a molecule of great interest as a starting material for the synthesis of novel antiprotozoal agents.