Fufang Yinhua Jiedu Granules (FFYHG) is usually applied to treat influenza and the common cold. However, there is no available report concerning the effects of chemical constituents in FFYHG on antiviral activity. In our study, four new terpenoid derivatives (1–4) and seventeen known compounds were isolated from FFYHG. Their structures and absolute configurations were determined by various techniques, including high-resolution mass spectrometry analysis, 1/2-dimensional (1D/2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis, comparative electronic circular dichroism (ECD) studies (experiment vs. calculation), and acid hydrolysis. In addition, the inhibitory effects of twenty-one isolated compounds against influenza A viruses (H1N1) including A/California/07/2009 (CA07) and A/WSN/1933 (WSN) strains were evaluated in vitro, and compound 4 exhibited a moderate inhibitory effect on CA07 strain, with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 37.10 ± 1.35 μM. This study enhanced the understanding of the active ingredients in FFYHG against influenza virus, providing a foundation for further research on the material basis and quality control of FFYHG.
Wang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.