Current status of targets and assays for anti-HIV drug screening

In-silico Studies Show Potent Inhibition of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Activity by a Herbal Drug

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a life threatening disease of the human immune system caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Effective inhibition of reverse transcriptase activity is a prominent, clinically viable approach for the treatment of AIDS. Few non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) as drugs for AIDS. In order to enhance therapeutic options against AIDS we examined novel herbal compounds of 4-thiazolidinone and its derivatives that are known to have remarkable antiviral potency. Our molecular docking and simulation experiments have identified one such herbal molecule known as (5E)-3-(2-aminoethyl)-5-benzylidene-1, 3-thiazolidine-2,4-dione that may bind HIV-1RT with high affinity to cause noncompetitive inhibition. Results are also compared with other US FDA approved drugs. Long de novo simulations and docking study suggest that the ligand (5E)-3-(2-aminoethyl)-5-benzylidene-1, 3-thiazolidine-2,4-dione (CID: 1656714) has strong binding interactions with Asp113, Asp110, Asp185 and Asp186 amino acids, all of which belong to one or the other catalytic pockets of HIV-1RT. It is expected that these interactions could be critical in the inhibitory activity of the HIV-1RT. Therefore, this study provides an evidence for consideration of (5E)-3-(2-aminoethyl)-5-benzylidene-1, 3-thiazolidine-2,4-dione as a valuable natural molecule in the treatment and prevention of HIV-associated disorders.

Digoxin suppresses HIV-1 replication by altering viral RNA processing

To develop new approaches to control HIV-1 replication, we examined the capacity of recently described small molecular modulators of RNA splicing for their effects on viral RNA metabolism. Of the drugs tested, digoxin was found to induce a dramatic inhibition of HIV-1 structural protein synthesis, a response due, in part, to reduced accumulation of the corresponding viral mRNAs. In addition, digoxin altered viral RNA splice site use, resulting in loss of the essential viral factor Rev. Digoxin induced changes in activity of the CLK family of SR protein kinases and modification of several SR proteins, including SRp20 and Tra2β, which could account for the effects observed. Consistent with this hypothesis, overexpression of SRp20 elicited changes in HIV-1 RNA processing similar to those observed with digoxin. Importantly, digoxin was also highly active against clinical strains of HIV-1 in vitro, validating this novel approach to treatment of this infection.