Abstract

Some natural triterpenes exert a definite antiviral activity on several human viruses. New synthetic derivatives of glycyrrhizic acid (GL) are even more active than the parental molecule. GL can alter the expression of viral genes involved in cell transformation, thus opening a new window for speculating on viral cancerogenesis.

Keywords: Triterpenes, glycyrrhizic acid, anti-viral activity, triterpene derivatives, latent viral infection