ANTI-HIV MICHELLAMINES FROM ANCISTROCLADUS-KORUPENSIS

Here we report details of the isolation and determination of the absol ute configurations and comparative anti-HIV activities of novel, atrop isomeric naphthylisoquinoline alkaloid dimers, michellamines A, B, and C, from a newly described species of Ancistrocladus from the Korup ra inforest of Cameroon. We further provide a more extensive analysis of the range of anti-HIV activity of michellamine B, the most potent and abundant member of the series. Michellamine B inhibited HIV-induced ce ll killing and viral replication in a variety of human cell lines, as well as in cultures of human peripheral blood leukocytes and monocytes . Michellamine B was active against a panel of biologically diverse la boratory and clinical strains of HIV-1, including the AZT-resistant st rain G910-6 and the pyridinone-resistant strain A17; the compound also inhibited several strains of HIV-2.