ANTIVIRAL ACTIVITY OF HAWAIIAN MEDICINAL-PLANTS AGAINST HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 (HIV-1)

Hawaiian medicinal plants commonly used for the treatment of a variety of infections were screened for antiviral activity against human immu nodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Sixty-one extracts derived from sev enteen plants were tested for selective viral growth inhibition using the LAI (HTLV-III B) isolate. The greatest degree of antiviral activit y was observed with aqueous extracts made from the bark of Eugenia mal accensis (L.) and the leaves of Pluchea indica (Less.) which had antiv iral selectivity indices (50% cytotoxic concentration/50% effective an tiviral concentration) of 109 and 94, respectively. These and other ex tracts conferred 100% cell protection against viral cytopathic effect when compared with control samples. Methanol and water extracts made f rom the Pipturus albidus (Gray) leaves and bark also achieved a high s elective inhibition of virus replication with very low cytotoxicity. P lant extracts made from Aleurites moluccana (Willd.), Psychotria hawai iensis (Gray), Clermontia aborescens (Mann), and Scaevola sericea (For st.) also showed antiviral activity. These data provide a rationale fo r the characterization of antiviral natural products from these plants and related plant species.