title: Inhibition of viral proteases by Zingiberaceae extracts and flavones isolated from Kaempferia parviflora.
abstract: In order to identify novel lead compounds with antiviral effect, methanol and aqueous extracts of eight medicinal plants in the Zingiberaceae family were screened for inhibition of proteases from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). In general, the methanol extracts inhibited the enzymes more effectively than the aqueous extracts. HIV-1 protease was strongly inhibited by the methanol extract of Alpinia galanga. This extract also inhibited HCV and HCMV proteases, but to a lower degree. HCV protease was most efficiently inhibited by the extracts from Zingiber officinale, with little difference between the aqueous and the methanol extracts. Many of the methanol extracts inhibited HCMV protease, but the aqueous extracts showed weak inhibition. In a first endeavor to identify the active constituents, eight flavones were isolated from the black rhizomes of Kaempferia parviflora. The most effective inhibitors, 5-hydroxy-7-methoxyflavone and 5,7-dimethoxyflavone, inhibited HIV-1 protease with IC50 values of 19 microM. Moreover, 5-hydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyflavone inhibited HCV protease and HCMV protease with IC50 values of 190 and 250 microM, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Bioorganic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sookkongwaree
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geitmann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roengsumran
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petsom
authors.forename: U H
authors.initials: UH
authors.lastname: Danielson
mesh_terms: D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000201:enzymology; D047309:Flavones / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016333:HIV Protease / Q000378:metabolism; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000201:enzymology; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D015842:Serine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014780:Viruses / Q000201:enzymology*; D030521:Zingiberaceae / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D047309:Flavones; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D015842:Serine Proteinase Inhibitors; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D016333:HIV Protease