ABSTRACT
A crude extract of Caulerpa taxifolia was tested for its antiviral activity. The chloroform-methanol residue showed an interesting inhibitor effect in vitro toward the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a valid model for studying the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This extract reduced the virus-induced syncytia in the cultured cells, the viral reverse transcriptase activity and the viral capsid protein P24 expression.
Subject(s)
Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , Chlorophyta/chemistry , Immunodeficiency Virus, Feline/drug effects , Plant Extracts/pharmacology , Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Animals , Cats , Cell Line , Gene Products, gag/metabolism , Giant Cells/virology , HIV-1/drug effects , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Models, BiologicalABSTRACT
Crude extracts of Cystoseira balearica were submitted to pharmacological investigations. The chloroform-methanol residue caused relaxation of the rat aortic musculature and an inhibitory action on the guinea pig atria. The fractionation of this crude extract gave two active diterpenoids, eleganolone (1) and elegandiol (2), the latter has not previously been isolated from this alga. These pure components, never before tested, showed a higher activity when compared with the crude residue.
