Evaluation of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory properties of extracts from some medicinal plants in Kenya.
Extracts from twenty two medicinal plants popularly used in preparing traditional remedies in Kenya were screened for activity against the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. The screening procedure involved the use of tritium labeled thymidine triphosphate as the enzyme substrate and polyadenylic acid.oligodeoxythymidylic acid [poly(rA).p(dT)12-18] as the template primer dimer. Foscarnet was used as a positive control in these experiments. At a concentration of 100 microg/ml, extracts from eight of these plants showed at least 50 per cent reverse transcriptase inhibition. This activity was arbitrarily considered as significant. This indicates that there is the probability that some antiretroviral compounds could be identified and isolated from materials from these plants.
Rukunga
Geoffrey M
GM
Kenya Medical Research Institute, P O Box 54840, Nairobi, Kenya. grukunga@nairobi.mimcom.net
Kofi-Tsekpo
Mawuli W
MW
Kurokawa
Masahiko
M
Kageyama
Seiji
S
Mungai
Geoffrey M
GM
Muli
John M
JM
Tolo
Festus M
FM
Kibaya
Rukia M
RM
Muthaura
Charles N
CN
Kanyara
James N
JN
Tukei
Peter M
PM
Shiraki
Kimiyasu
K
D017245:Foscarnet / Q000494:pharmacology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*
D010936:Plant Extracts; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D017245:Foscarnet