In vitro anti-HIV-1 properties of ethnobotanically selected South African plants used in the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases

Abstract

Terminalia sericea extract (IC50 = 92 mg/ml) exhibited a considerable α-glucosidase inhibitory activity which was better than acarbose (IC50 = 131 mg/ml) under our assay conditions. In the reverse transcriptase assay, T. sericea also showed good inhibitory activity (IC50 = 43 mg/ml), which was higher than that of the reference drug, Adriamycin (IC50 = 100 mg/ml). The ethyl acetate extract of Elaeodendron transvaalense exhibited the most potent inhibitory activity in both the NF-κB and Tat assays with inhibitory activity of 76% and 75% respectively at a concentration of 15 mg/ml. The acetone and chloroform extracts of E. transvaalense and Zanthoxylum davyi also showed good activity in the NF-κB and Tat assays.