Effects of root, shoot, leaf and seed extracts of seven Artemisia species on HIV-1 replication and CD4 expression

Abstract

Artemisia species (Asteraceae family) are small herbs that grow in dry and semi-dry regions[1]. Five hundred species of this genus are widely distributed in Asia, Europe and North America. It has been reported that most species of this genus are found in Iran[2,3]. Researchers throughout the world have approved the great medicinal values of the genus Artemisia. Pharmacological investigations of Artemisia species have led to the detection of novel biologically active compounds such as monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, lactones, flavonoids and coumarins from Artemisia annua[1,4,5]. This plant has been used in Iranian traditional medicine as anti-infectious and antibacterial agent[6]. The extract of some Artemisia species such as Artemisia absinthium (A. absinthium), Artemisia vulgaris (A. vulgaris), Artemisia incana, Artemisia fragrans (A. fragrans) and Artemisia spicigera have been reported to have potent cytotoxic effects on breast cancer cells[7-9]. Some studies reported that essential oils obtained from Artemisia species have strong inhibitory activities against the pathogenic bacteria[10,11]. However, there is no scientific study available about anti-HIV-1 activity of Iranian Artemisia species. Therefore, we became eager to assess Artemisia species with respect to their anti-HIV-1 activity. Several studies have been reported on anti-HIV-1 and antibacterial activity of natural products. However, current antiHIV-1 drugs have a lot of disadvantages including resistance and toxicity[12]. So the development of drugs that inhibit diverse steps of viral replication and improve immunologic parameters is essential. Screening anti-HIV compounds from natural products may be one of the effective ways to discover new drugs. The present study is focused to evaluate the effect of different part extracts of Iranian Artemisia species on HIV-1 replication and ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT