title: Anticytomegalovirus activity of pristimerin, a triterpenoid quinone methide isolated from Maytenus heterophylla (Eckl. & Zeyh.).
abstract: We examined the anticytomegalovirus properties of four compounds: pristimerin, the pristimerin analogue, lupeol and 2-acetylphenol-1-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1 --> 6)-beta-D-xylpyranoside (acetophenol glycoside), isolated from Maytenus heterophylla, a Kenyan medicinal plant. The effects were studied on human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication in the human embryonic fibroblast cell line, MRC-5. In a viral plaque-reduction assay, pristimerin showed dose-dependent inhibitory properties with a 50% inhibitory concentration of 0.53 microg/ml (selective index = 27.9). The cells treated with pristimerin inhibited the cytopathic effects in HCMV-infected cells. Moreover, pristimerin suppressed viral replication without affecting the cell growth. Pristimerin inhibited the synthesis of viral DNA but had no virucidal effect on cell-free HCMV. Furthermore, Western blot analysis demonstrated that pristimerin decreased the amount of immediate early (IE) antigen (especially IE2) expression in the infected cells. These results suggest that pristimerin is a unique compound with potential anti-HCMV activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokuriku University, Kanazawa, Japan. t-murayama@hokuriku-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tsugiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murayama
authors.forename: Yoshito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Eizuru
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Hidetaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sadanari
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: Geoffrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rukung
authors.forename: Festus M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Tolo
authors.forename: Geoffrey M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Mungai
authors.forename: Mawuli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kofi-Tsekpo
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000187:drug effects*; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral / Q000187:drug effects; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D029755:Maytenus / Q000737:chemistry; D053978:Pentacyclic Triterpenes; D010636:Phenols / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects; D000094042:Lupanes
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D004279:DNA, Viral; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D053978:Pentacyclic Triterpenes; D010636:Phenols; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014315:Triterpenes; C069186:IE2 protein, Cytomegalovirus; C050414:celastrol; C010480:lupeol; D000094042:Lupanes