Inhibitory effects of Korean plants on HIV‐1 activities

Abstract

AbstractIn the search for novel anti‐human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (anti‐HIV‐1) agents from natural sources, 49 MeOH extracts of Korean plants were screened for their inhibitory effects against RNA‐dependent DNA polymerase (RT) and ribonuclease H (RNase H) activities of HIV‐1 reverse transcriptase and HIV‐1 protease, and anti‐HIV‐1 activity. Regarding the HIV‐1 reverse transcriptase, Agrimonia ­pilosa (whole plant), Cornus kousa (stem and leaf), Limonium tetragonum (root) and Mallotus japonicus (stem) showed significant inhibitory activity on RT activity with 50% inhibitory activity (IC50) of 8.9, 6.3, 7.5 and 11.9 µg/mL, respectively, whereas Agrimonia pilosa was also active against RNase H activity (IC50 = 98.4 µg/mL). Four plants, namely Agrimonia pilosa (whole plant), Atractylodes japonica (root), Clematis heracleifolia (whole plant) and Syneilesis palmata (whole plant), were appreciably active (<35%) against recombinant HIV‐1 protease at a concentration of 100 µg/mL. Crinum asiaticum var. japonicum (root) showed significant anti‐HIV‐1 activity (ED50 = 12.5 µg/mL) with a favourable SI value of 16. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.