Biology and Medicine

Abstract

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase inhibitory activity of Phyllanthus emblica plant extract

M Estari, L Venkanna, D Sripriya, R Lalitha

Human Immunodeficiency Virus type-1 (HIV-1) is the cause of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a major human viral disease with about 33.2 million people infected worldwide. The high cost of the HAART regimen has impeded its delivery to over 90% of the HIV/AIDS population in the world. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro anti-HIV activity of Phyllanthus emblica plant extracts. Extracts were prepared from dried fruit in n-hexane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) isolated from healthy donors by ficoll-hypaque density gradient centrifugation method. A toxicity study was performed on all crude extracts by MTT assay using PBMCs isolated from whole blood. HIV-1 RT inhibition activity of the all solvent extracts of P. emblica was determined. AQF and HXF fractions show highest inhibition of recombinant HIV-RT (91% and 89% respectively) at 1 mg/ml concentration. CFF fraction shows highest inhibition of HIV-RT at 0.5 mg/ml and CTF fraction at 0.12 mg/ml concentration. Experimental results thus suggested that the P. emblica plant extracts which have been tested in the present study exert their anti-HIV activity via inhibition of HIV reverse transcriptase activity. Thus the present study seems to justify the traditional use of plant for the treatment of infectious disease of viral origin. However, in order to assess the usefulness of this herb, it is necessary to isolate the active principle(s) from the crude and fractions, identify them and study their mechanism of action.