In vitro anti-HIV-1 properties of ethnobotanically selected South African plants used in the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

[corrected The plants selected in this study are used traditionally in the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and traditional healers interviewed claimed these plants can also help AIDS patients.

AIM

To evaluating the in vitro anti-HIV properties of selected plants in various bioassays.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The extracts were evaluated for their inhibition against alpha-glycohydrolase, reverse transcriptase and viral proteins (NF-kappaB and Tat) which play a significant role in the HIV life cycle.

RESULTS

Terminalia sericea extract (IC(50)=92mg/ml) exhibited a considerable alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity which was better than acarbose (IC(50)=131mg/ml) under our assay conditions. In the reverse transcriptase assay, T. sericea also showed good inhibitory activity (IC(50)=43mg/ml), which was higher than that of the reference drug, Adriamycin (IC(50)=100mg/ml). The ethyl acetate extract of Elaeodendron transvaalense exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity in both the NF-kappaB and Tat assays with inhibitory activity of 76% and 75% respectively at a concentration of 15mg/ml. The acetone and chloroform extracts of E. transvaalense and Zanthoxylum davyi also showed good activity in the NF-kappaB and Tat assays.