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Anti-HIV-1 activities of extracts from the medicinal plant Rhus chinensis.

Wang RR, Gu Q, Yang LM, Chen JJ, Li SY, Zheng YT

Laboratory of Molecular Immunopharmacology, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650223, China.

Rhus chinensis, a species used in folk medicine by Chinese native people, the anti-HIV-1 activities of the petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, butanol and aqueous extract of Rhus chinensis, named as RC-1, RC-2, RC-3 and RC-4, respectively, was evaluated. The petroleum ether extract RC-1 can inhibit the syncytium formation and HIV-1 p24 antigen at non-cytotoxic concentrations, the 50% effective concentration (EC50) were 0.71 and 0.93 microg/ml, respectively. The therapeutic index (TI) was about 100. RC-1 had no activity on inhibiting HIV-1 recombinant RT and HIV-1 entry into host cells. Results showed that RC-1 was effective against HIV-1 and Rhus chinensis would be a useful medicinal plant for the chemotherapy of HIV-1 infection. RC-1 might inhibit the post steps or target the new sites of HIV-1 replication.

Published 29 March 2006 in J Ethnopharmacol, 105(1): 269-73.
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