In vitro Anti-HIV Activity of Oleanolic Acid on Infected Human Mononuclear Cells

Fabio Mengoni; Miriam Lichtner; Lucia Battinelli; Monica Marzi; Claudio Maria Mastroianni; Vincenzo Vullo; Gabriela Mazzanti

doi:10.1055/s-2002-20256

Planta Medica, Table of Contents

Planta Med 2002; 68(2): 111-114
DOI: 10.1055/s-2002-20256

Original Paper

Pharmacology
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

In vitro Anti-HIV Activity of Oleanolic Acid on Infected Human Mononuclear Cells

Fabio Mengoni¹ , Miriam Lichtner¹ , Lucia Battinelli² , Monica Marzi¹ , Claudio Maria Mastroianni¹ , Vincenzo Vullo¹ , Gabriela Mazzanti²

¹Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, University ”La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy
²Department of Pharmacology of Natural Substances and General Physiology, University ”La Sapienza”, Rome, Italy

Abstract

Oleanolic acid is a triterpenoid which is quite common in nature in the form either of free acid or in triterpenoid saponin glycosides. This study describes the effect of oleanolic acid on the growth of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) in cultures of human peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) and of monocyte/macrophages (M/M). Its inhibitory activity was also evaluated on PBMC obtained from HIV-1 infected patients. Results obtained show that oleanolic acid inhibits the HIV-1 replication in all the cellular systems used (EC₅₀ values: 22.7 μM, 24.6 μM and 57.4 μM for in vitro infected PBMC, naturally infected PBMC and M/M, respectively). As regards the mechanism of action, oleanolic acid inhibits in vitro the HIV-1 protease activity.

Key words

Oleanolic acid - anti HIV-1 activity - HIV-1 protease - PBMC - M/M

Full Text

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Lucia Battinelli

Dipartimento di Farmacologia delle Sostanze Naturali e

Fisiologia Generale

Università ”La Sapienza”

P.le Aldo Moro, 5

00185 Rome

Italy

Phone: +39-06-4991-2903

Fax: +39-06-4991-2480

Email: lucia.battinelli@uniroma1.it