AU researchers find molecular compound that kills HIV

AU researchers find molecular compound that kills HIV
By SNV Sudhir
Visakhapatnam, Nov 24: Researchers at Andhra University’s college of pharmaceutical sciences identified a medicinal plant which has a molecular compound that can kill the dreaded HIV.
Invitro studies conducted on a blood sample of a HIV infected patient with the molecular compound of Tephrosia pulcherimma, a medicinal plant, which is called “Adavi Vempali” locally and available in the forests near Vizianagaram and Talakona gave positive results.
Normally any medicine is made from a molecular compound which has the characteristic of curing a disease. Some molecular compounds can be extracted from medicinal plants which are later used to make medicines by pharma industries.
Though the research and tests are at a preliminary stage further in depth study into the molecular compound might result in finding medicine to cure HIV/AIDS.
AU College of pharmaceutical sciences Principal and chief researcher of the project, Prof S Ganapthy told this correspondent that as part of blind screening they wanted to test whether Tephrosia pulcherimma’s molecular compound can kill HIV. “The molecular compound pulcherimin extracted from Tephrosia pulcherimma has anti bacterial and anti fungal characteristic. As part of blind screening we wanted to test the compound on HIV,” said Prof Ganapathi who has been researching on phyto medicine since more than 30 years.
The molecular compound pulicherimin was then sent to the micro biology and immunology lab at Maratha Mandal dental science research centre, Belgaum in Karnataka. At Belgaum lab invitro study was conducted on a drop of HIV infected blood sample. The blood sample that had 2.8 lakh copies of HIV virus before dropped to 1,000 in number after a 50 micro gram of pulicherimin molecular compound was added. “We were surprised with the drop in the virus count,” said Ganapathy.
He immediately sent the same molecular compound to Tropical Research Institute in Switzerland and an in-depth study on the subject is underway. Researchers here are eagerly waiting for the result to come out. “Research is still at a very preliminary stage. There should be clinical trials to test side affects etc”, added Ganpathy, who has a masters degree in Pharmacology from University in Strathclyde in UK.
Ganapthy was very quick to act and applied for a patent on the medicinal plant Tephrosia pulcherimma and got registered at Indian Patent Office at Chennai. “Screening test on the HIV infected blood sample by the molecular compound sent by Andhra University pharma college researchers gave a positive result and quite encouraging. But it’s at a very initial stage. Further in depth study should be done,” head of the department of molecular biology and immunology at Maratha Mandal research centre, Dr Kishore Bhat told this correspondent confirming the tests.