In vitro study for HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory activity in extracts from Tinospora cordifolia

AIDS is a pandemic immunosuppresive disease which results in life-threatening opportunistic infections and malignancies. Some of the compounds that have been reported to inhibit HIV replication but their target of action have not been elucidated. Thus there is a need for the discovery of novel therapeutic strategies. In the current study, we investigated leaf extracts of Tinospora cordifolia shows activities against HIV-1 replication. Air-dried powdered aerial parts of Tinospora cordifolia was extracted by maceration with using of different solvents. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from healthy blood donors to test cytotoxicity of the extracts. Different concentrations of solvent extract shows more than 60 percent HIV-1 RT inhibition activity at percent of inhibition shows this extract at 20 μg/ml concentration. The control drug AZT shows more than 60 percent of HIV-1 RT inhibition activity at all concentrations. The present investigations showed that the T. cordifolia plant have great potential for developing useful drugs.