Anti HIV-1 Activity of the Crude Extracts of Guaiacum officinale L. (Zygophyllaceae)
AUTHOR(S)
PUB. DATE
April 2014
SOURCE
European Journal of Medicinal Plants;2014, Vol. 4 Issue 4, p483
SOURCE TYPE
Academic Journal
DOC. TYPE
Article
ABSTRACT
Aim: Jamaica is rich in
medicinal plants. Guaiacum officinale is the "National Flower", with
reported uses in folk medicine for the treatment of various conditions
including inflammation. In our search for plants with anticancer and
anti-infective properties, we evaluated Guaiacum officinale for activity
against HIV-1. Methodology: The leaf, seed and twig extracts of G.
officinale were screened for anti HIV-1 properties in primary peripheral
blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) infected with the reference HIV-1 BaL
strain. Results: All the tested extracts inhibited HIV-1 p24 production
by infected cells, with EC50 concentrations of 22.35µg/ml, 23.42µg/ml
and 25.04µg/ml, respectively for the leaf, seed and twig extracts. As
comparison, Betulinic acid had an EC50 value of 27.50µg/ml. The tested
extracts had IC50/EC50 selectivity index (SI) values of ≥ 3, which
compared favorably to Betulinic acid SI value of 1.09. Conclusion: The
results of this study suggest that extracts of G. officinale may provide
leads for the discovery of new drug agents against HIV-1.
