Inhibition of gp 120-CD4 interaction by various plant extracts

Various assay methods have been developed to evaluate the effectiveness of substances against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). One of them is the Syncytia formation inhibition assay, which is based on the inhibition of the interaction between the HIV-1 envelope protein gp 120 and the cellular membrane protein CD4. A variation of this assay using recombinant virus vPE 16 and CD4(+) HeLa cell was developed to find anti-HIV compounds in natural products that inhibit gp 120-CD4 binding. VPE 16 expresses glycoprotein gp 160, which is glycosylated then processed into gp 120 and gp 41 on its envelope. A total of 50 plant extracts were screened with this system. Extracts from Calicarpa japonica and Sedum sarmentosum were among those that showed strong inhibition of the gp 120-CD4 interaction.