Glycosylation is an effective approach to improve the druggability of natural products by increasing their water solubility. In this work, we report the glycosylation of oleanane-type triterpenoids by a recombinant microbial glycosyltransferase YjiC1. A preliminary screening test indicated YjiC1 exhibited robust capabilities for O-glycosylation of triterpenoids, based on LC/MS analysis. Among the products, two new compounds (2a and 3a), together with a known one (1a), were isolated and characterized. These products exhibited improved water solubility, and 3a showed moderate anti-HIV activities at 100 μM. This reaction provides a facile and efficient approach to synthesize the glucosides of triterpenoids.
Keywords: Enzymatic catalysis; YjiC1; glycosylation; glycosyltransferase; triterpenoids.