Extracts of the medicinal herb Sanguisorba officinalis inhibit the entry of human immunodeficiency virus-1

Abstract

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been successful in reducing HIV-1-associated morbidity and mortality since its introduction in 1996. It, however, fails to eradicate HIV-1 infection thoroughly. The high cost of life-long HAART and the emergence of drug resistance among HIV-1-infected individuals have brought renewed pressure for the discovery of novel antivirals and alternative medicines. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the mainstreams of complementary and alternative medicine, and serves as rich resources for new drug development. Despite almost 100 plant-derived compounds are in clinical trials, few target HIV-1 infection. In this study, we discovered that extract of Sanguisorba officinalis (SOE) has anti-HIV-1 activities. Using a cell-based assay and single-cycle luciferase reporter viruses pseudotyped with envelopes from HIV-1 or control viruses, we found that SOE exhibited significant inhibitory ability against both CCR5 and CXCR4 tropic HIV-1 (ADA and HXB2) with respective IC50 values of 1.91±0.16 μg/ml and 3.70±0.53 μg/ml. Interestingly, SOE also inhibited SIV infection but failed to block vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), SARS-CoV and influeunza H5N1 pseudoviruses. Furthermore, we showed that SOE had no effects on post-entry events of HIV-1 replication. It blocked entry by acting on viral envelope directly because SOE pre-treatment with the virus but not with cell lines expressing viral receptors showed the maximal inhibitory activity. In addition, SOE was able to inhibit reverse-transcription-inhibitor-resistant viruses (K103N, Y188L, and K103N/Y188L/G190A) and a protease-inhibitor-resistant strain (PI-2840). Our findings demonstrated SOE as a novel and specific entry inhibitor, which shed lights on the discovery of anti-HIV-1 drugs from traditional herbal medicines.

Chemical Composition of Essential Oils from Thymus vulgaris, Cymbopogon citratus, and Rosmarinus officinalis, and Their Effects on the HIV‐1 Tat Protein Function

“…inhibiting the reverse transcriptase, protease, or integrase activities or interfering with virus entries into cells. In this regard, Sanguisorba officinalis and Pelargonium sidoides extracts inhibited the entry of the virus into the cells. Pometia pinnata and Mimusops elengi leaf extracts can modulate the activity of HIV integrase, and numerous vegetable extracts showed inhibitory potential on reverse transcriptase …”

Accumulation of biomass and phenolic compounds in Polish and Mongolian great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis L.) populations

“…It was confirmed that extracts form this plant have strong effect against avian E. coli [14]. The extracts are also considered as a new, natural anti-HIV-1 drug [4]. There was also confirmed that flavan-3-ols reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke [15].…”

“…In Poland it occurs mostly in southern regions, whereas in Mongolia it is spread through the whole country. The raw material collected from this plant are underground organs (rhizomes and roots) known for its healing properties [1][2][3][4]. They are used in the treatment of fever, bleeding, diarrhoea, haemorrhoids and burns.…”

“…They are used in the treatment of fever, bleeding, diarrhoea, haemorrhoids and burns. In traditional Chinese medicine it is said to cool the blood, clear heat and heal wounds [3][4][5][6]. The active compounds responsible for the biological activity of great burnet roots are polyphenol compounds, in particular flavan-3-ols and phenolic acids as well as sterols and saponin compounds [1][2][3]7].…”

Antiangiogenic Effects of Ziyuglycoside II, a Major Active Compound of Sanguisorba officinalis L.

“…Sanguisorba officinalis L. grows naturally in Korea, China, Japan, Siberia, and Europe. It possesses a variety of pharmacological properties including antioxidant , antitumor (Choi et al, 2012;Shin et al, 2012), antiangiogenic , and immunomodulatory effects (Cai et al, 2012;Liang et al, 2013). In addition, a variety of chemical constituents have been isolated from S. officinalis, and their biological properties have been evaluated (Tong et al, 2015).…”