Human immunodeficiency virus: The potential of medicinal plants as antiretroviral therapy

• Published in: Journal of medical virology 2022-06, Vol.94 (6), p.2669-2674
• Main Authors: Shahzad, Muhammad, Chen, Huan, Akhtar, Tasleem, Rafi, Ali, Zafar, Muhammad Shoaib, Zheng, Yong‐Tang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - drug therapy; AIDS; Alternative medicine; Antiretroviral agents; Antiretroviral drugs; Antiretroviral therapy; Antiviral activity; Antiviral agents; complementary and alternative medicine; Cytotoxicity; Drug development; Drug resistance; Drug therapy; Drugs; Herbal medicine; HIV; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV-1; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immune system; Infections; Medicinal plants; Medicine; Pistacia integerrima; Pistacia khinjuk; Plant extracts; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Plants, Medicinal; Public health; Quality of life; Replication; Side effects; Teucrium; Therapy; Toxicity; Uncaria tomentosa; Virology; Viruses
• ISSN: 0146-6615; 1096-9071
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27648

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is fast becoming widespread in the world with 37.7 million people living with HIV in 2020. Antiretroviral therapy involving chemical drugs has declined acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)‐related mortality and improved the life quality of AIDS/HIV sufferers. However, the emergence of drug resistance and side effects are the main obstacles for the long‐term use of these chemicals as antiretroviral therapy. Recently, a lot of emphasis is being put on finding naturally occurring drug candidates that show activity against HIV and can be potentially used as antiretroviral therapy. In this study, different medicinal plants, Pistacia khinjuk, Teucrium stocksianum, Uncaria tomentosa, Pistacia integerrima, Trigonella gharuensis, and Artocarpus lakoocha, were explored for their anti‐HIV potential. Syncytium and p24 assays were performed to determine antiviral activity, while the MTT assay was used to determine cytotoxicity. Results showed that extracts from all six plants inhibited HIV replication in vitro. Also, extracts from Pistacia khinjuk, Teucrium stocksianum, Uncaria tomentosa, and Pistacia integerrima showed low cytotoxicity with a 50% cytotoxicity concentration value of >200 μM. Results of this study indicate that there is potential in these natural extracts to become candidate drugs to be used as complementary and alternative medicine for HIV infection. Highlights Important findings with reference to anti‐human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) activities and cytotoxicities of extracts from six different plants. Extracts from all six plants inhibited HIV replication in vitro. Pistacia khinjuk (concentration required for the effectiveness of 50% [EC50] = 0.34 µM) and Teucrium stocksianum (EC50 = 0.57 µM) showed the highest anti‐HIV activities. These natural extracts have the potential to become candidate drugs to be used as a complementary and alternative medicine for HIV.