Anti-HIV activity of Hyptis Jacq. (Lamiaceae)

Hyptis species are known to be used in folk medicine to treat various diseases such as flu and constipation (H. fruticosa), respiratory diseases (H. macrostachys), stomach and intestinal disorders (H. martiusii), colic and liver disease (H. pectinata), nasal and ear disorders (H. umbrosa) and fever (H. suaveolens) [1]. It is a genus of Lamiaceae, comprising of approximately 144 species which are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Hyptis radicans (Pohl) Harley & J.F.B. Pastore, H. lappulacea Mart. ex Benth, H. multibracteata Benth. and H. comaroides (Briq.) Harley & J.F.B. Pastore, are species from the Atlantic Forest easily found in Paranapiacaba, SP, Brazil, except H. comaroides which is found in Southern Brazil, in a field area. Currently there is no literature describing the pharmacological potential about those species. Therefore the anti-HIV1 potential of hydroethanolic extracts was investigated. Plant material was collected, dried at 40 °C for a week, powdered and subjected to maceration in ethanol 70% for 7 days at room temperature in the dark. Extracts were lyophilized and all samples were dissolved in DMSO 10% to achieve concentrations of 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1 mg/mL for an anti-HIV1 assay (Roche^®). A Foscarnet standard (0.025 – 1 µg/mL) was used as a positive control. The crude extract that showed the lowest EC₅₀ was from H. comaroides (EC₅₀ 33.9 µg/mL) followed by H. radicans (EC₅₀ 158.7 µg/mL), H. lappulacea (EC₅₀ 865.0 µg/mL) and H. multibracteata (EC₅₀ 1096.0 µg/mL). In comparison to the stardard Foscarnet (EC₅₀ 0.51 µg/mL) H. comaroides and H. radicans, both from Peltodon section, are promising species to search for substances with anti-HIV1 activity.

Acknowledgements: FAPESP for financial support (2013/24841 – 4; 2014/21233 – 6), CAPES for scholarship of MDSP and KPS, and CNPq.

References:

[1] Agra MF, Silva KN et al. Survey of medicinal plants used in the region Northeast of Brazil. Rev Bras Farmacogn 2008; 18: 472 – 508.