Ursolic Acid Derivatives as Potential Agents Against Spp.

The current chemotherapy of keratitis relies on few drugs with low potential and limited efficacy, for all this there is an urgent need to identify new classes of anti- agents. In this regard, natural products play an important role in overcoming the current need and medicinal chemistry of natural products represents an attractive approach for the discovery and development of new agents. Ursolic acid, a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid compound, possesses a broad spectrum of activities including anti-. Herein, we report on the development by chemical transformation of an ursolic acid-based series of seven compounds (2-8), one of them reported for the first time. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis of their anti- activity revealed that acylation/ether formation or oxidation enhances their biological profile, suggesting that the hydrophobic moiety contributes to activity, presumably by increasing the affinity and/or cell membrane permeability. These ursolic acid derivatives highlight the potential of this source as a good base for the development of novel therapeutic agents against infections.