Anti-HIV-1 Activities of the Extracts from the Medicinal Plant Linum grandiflorum Desf

As part of our screening of anti-AIDS agents from natural sources e.g. Ixora undulata, Paulownia tomentosa, Fortunella margarita, Aegle marmelos and Erythrina abyssinica, the different organic and aqueous extracts of Linum grandiflorum leaves and seeds were evaluated in vitro by the microculture tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The activity of the tested extracts against multiplication of HIV-1 wild type IIIB, N119, A17, and EFV in acutely infected cells was based on inhibition of virus-induced cytopathicity in MT-4 cells. Results revealed that both the MeOH and the CHCl3 extracts of L. grandiflorum have significant inhibitory effects against HIV-1 induced infection with MT-4 cells. The MeOH extract of the leaves is more potent than other extracts against MT-4 cell cultures infected with the wild type HIV-1, strain IIIB with an ED50 of 46 ± 6 μM, while the CHCl3 extract of the seeds is more potent than other extracts against MT-4 cell cultures infected with the double mutation K103N+Y181C with an ED50 of 57 ± 4 μM. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________