ISSN 2169-303X
International Journal of Medicinal Plants Research ISSN 2169-303X Vol. 7 (2), pp. 366-370, February, 2018. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Effect of certain medicinal plants against human immunodeficiency virus
Pascal Obong Bessong1, 2*, Chikwelu Larry Obi2, Eunice Igumbor2, Marie-Line Andreola3, Simon Litvak3
1Center for Global Health, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, P.O Box 801379 Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
2Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Venda for Science and Technology. PMB X5050 Thohoyandou 0950, Limpopo Province, South Africa.
3REGER, UMR-5097 CNRS, Université Victor Segalen, Bordeaux 2, Rue Leo Saignat 33076 Bordeaux, France.
*Corresponding author. E-Mail: [email protected]. Tel: +1 434924 9672 ,Fax: +1 434 977 5323
Accepted 14 April, 2017
Abstract
Crude extracts of three ethnobotanically selected medicinal plants were screened for activity against two functions of human immunodeficiency type 1 reverse transcriptase. Inhibition of the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity was evaluated by measuring the degree of incorporation of methyl-3H thymidine triphosphate using polyadenylic acid.oligodeoxythymidylic acid as a template primer. Ribonuclease H activity was evaluated by measuring the extent of degradation of a radiolabelled RNA in an RNA/DNA hybrid by reverse transcriptase in the presence of test substance. The methanol extract of the leaves of Terminalia sericea (Combretaceae) was found to strongly inhibit the polymerase (IC50 = 7.2 µg/ml) and the ribonuclease H (IC50 = 8.1 µg/ml) activities. Isolation and characterization of a possible active molecule is warranted.
Key words: HIV-1 reverse transcriptase; inhibition; crude extracts; medicinal plants; Terminalia sericea; South Africa.