Taking berberine (BBR) as the lead, 23 new BBR derivatives were synthesized and examined for their antiviral activities against four different genotype enterovirus 71 (EV71) strains with a cytopathic effect (CPE) assay. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies indicated that introduction of a suitable substituent at the 9-position might be beneficial for potency. Among them, compound 2d exhibited most potent activities with IC50 values of 7.12–14.8 μM, similar to that of BBR. The effect of

more »

... 2d was further confirmed in a dose-dependent manner both in RNA and protein level. The mechanism revealed that 2d could inhibit the activation of MEK/ERK signaling pathway. Meanwhile, it could suppress the EV71-induced autophagy by activating AKT and inhibiting the phosphorylation of JNK and PI3KIII proteins. We consider BBR derivatives to be a new family of anti-EV71 agents through targeting host components, with an advantage of broad-spectrum anti-EV71 potency.