Forty caffeate analogues were synthesized via a convenient method starting from vanillin with moderate to good yields. The testing of biological activity of these compounds against HIV-1 integrase indicates that four compounds: bornyl caffeate, bornyl 2-nitrocaffeate, 5- nitrocaffeic acid and 5-nitrocaffeic acid phenethyl ester (5-nitroCAPE) possess a good HIV integrase inhibitory activity, IC50 19.9, 26.8, 25.0 and 13.5 μM, respectively. Twelve ...