Open AccessEvaluation of the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory properties of extracts from some medicinal plants in Kenya
Author(s) -
Geoffrey M. Rukunga,
Mawuli W. Kofi-Tsekpo,
Mineo Kurokawa,
Seiji Kageyama,
G.M. Mungai,
John M Muli,
Festus Tolo,
Rukia Kibaya,
C.N. Muthaura,
James N Kanyara,
P.M. Tukei,
Kimíyasu Shiraki
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
african journal of health sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2306-1987
pISSN - 1022-9272
DOI - 10.4314/ajhs.v9i1.30758
Subject(s) - reverse transcriptase , enzyme , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , primer (cosmetics) , virology , traditional medicine , chemistry , pharmacology , biology , medicine , biochemistry , polymerase chain reaction , organic chemistry , gene
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.