IN VITRO HIV-1 REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE INHIBITION BY ALKALOIDS ISOLATED FROM LEAVES OF ECLIPTA ALBA

Abstract

The high price of the highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) programme has encumbered its distribution to over 90% of the HIV/AIDS inhabitants in the world. This reality has instantly called for the essential to progress low-cost alternate anti-HIV/AIDS treatment. The objective of this study is to isolate alkaloid from E. alba leaves for their activities against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. Collected leaves of E. alba were extracted with altered solvents and the purity of isolated alkaloids was checked by TLC and qualitative phytochemical analysis were done. Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) isolated from healthy donors by ficoll–hypaque density gradient centrifugation method. Cell viability test was achieved on isolated phytochemicals by MTT assay against PBMC and HIV-1 RT inhibition activity was determined by HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase (p66) Capture ELISA. In the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase assay, the isolated alkaloid showed 89% of HIV-1 reverse transcription with IC50 of 5 µg/ml. MTT assay revealed that, the alkaloid isolated from E. alba had no cytotoxic activity (IC50 values higher than 100 µg/ml). Characterization of important biologically-active alkaloid from E. alba plant will certainly be supportive in defending and handling various viral diseases in human beings. The results of the present study sustenance the medicinal usage of the alkaloid isolated from the leaves of E. alba can be used as antiviral agents and can be subjected to characterize the therapeutic drugs and undergo further pharmacological screening that can be used as sources for new drugs.