Synthesis and biological evaluation of fluorinated bergenin derivatives

Bergenin is a natural C-glycoside with multi-target therapeutic potential. Herein, a series of 21 novel derivatives were designed and synthesized through direct hydroxy-fluorination and the incorporation of fluorinated building blocks. Biological activity evaluation results demonstrated that, except for ether derivatives, most fluorine-containing derivatives exhibited superior anti-inflammatory and antitussive activities compared with bergenin, and among these derivatives, the C4-fluorinated ones (1b, 1d, 2a, 2d and 2e) showed the most prominent activity.