A Human Immunodeficiency Virus Protease Inhibitory Substance From Swietenia Mahagoni

For the purpose of finding anti-HIV agents from natural sources, various plant extracts were screened for their inhibitory activity against HIV-protease, an enzyme essential for viral proliferation, By bioassay-directed fractionation of the methanol extract of Swietenia mahagoni (bark) which had shown inhibitory activity against this enzyme, we isolated and identified chlorogenic acid methyl ester as a inhibitory substance, its 50% inhibitory concentration being less than 40 mu g/ml. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.