Petiveria alliacea L (Guinea Hen Weed) and Its Major Metabolite Dibenzyl Trisulfide Demonstrate HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitory Activity

Aim: The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a major public health concern despite the discovery and development of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapies (HAART). There is as such a need to continue to search for new and effective therapies for this global pandemic. In an effort to discover new anti HIV agents, the aim of this study was to determine the anti HIV-1 activity of Petiveria alliacea and its metabolites.

Methodology: The extracts of P. alliacea and dibenzyl trisulfide were screened for anti HIV-1 properties in primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) infected with the HIV-1JR-CSF strain.

Results: The anticancer metabolite of P. alliacea called dibenzyl trisulfide and the crude methanol and ethyl acetate extracts inhibited HIV-1 reverse transcriptase in infected cells, with EC50 concentrations of 5.60 µg/ml, 21.6 µg/ml and 68.0 µg/ml, respectively. The reference compound AZT had an EC50 value of 0.005 µg/ml. The tested extracts had IC50/EC50 selectivity index (SI) values of ≥ 1.47. The results were confirmed in another assay measuring the expression of p24.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that extracts of P. alliacea may contain anti HIV-1 metabolites that could provide leads for the discovery of new agents against the HIV virus.