A research group led by Professor Lee Wu of Toho University has conducted an international collaborative study with Shenyang Pharmaceutical University in China, Duke University in the United States, and North Carolina University. It was discovered for the first time that it contained substances.It is expected to contribute to the creation of new therapeutic agents for HIV infection.
More than 50 species of about 800 genera of Thymelaeaceae are widely distributed all over the world except the boreal zone.Plants of this family are characterized by containing components with excellent biological activities such as anti-cancer and anti-HIV (Tigrian-type and Dafunan-type diterpenoids).There are about 70 species of Wikstroemia retreatus in the family Thymelaeaceae, but there are few studies on diterpenoids.
The Wikstroemia genus plant collected this time is from Yunnan Province, China, and is called Kinshitojoka.It is a shrub that grows in river valleys at an altitude of 2600 to 3200 m and blooms fragrant yellow flowers.The research group analyzed the components of the extract of this plant and detected the diterpenoid (Tigrian type) component.Furthermore, eight diterpenoids were isolated from the extract, and the anti-HIV replication activity was evaluated in a human T lymphocyte cell line (MT8) infected with the HIV-1 NL4-3 strain. Showed strong anti-HIV activity.
The existing anti-HIV drug combination therapy (ART) cannot completely eliminate latent HIV from the body, and it is necessary to take antiviral drugs for a lifetime.Therefore, there is an urgent need to create new anti-HIV drugs aimed at eradicating HIV infection.Based on the findings obtained this time, it is expected that the bioactive diterpenoids of Wikstroemia retreatus plants will be further elucidated and new substances (drug discovery seeds) effective for treatment will be discovered in the development of new therapeutic agents for HIV infectious diseases.
Paper information:[Journal of Natural Products] LC-MS Identification, Isolation, and Structural Elucidation of Anti-HIV Tigliane Diterpenoids from Wikstroemia lamatsoensis
