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Microbes & Immunity

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Potential antiviral and immunomodulatory activity

of Amazonian medicinal plant compounds

Sarah Maria da Silva Napoleão 1 , João Paulo Romualdo Alarcão Bernardes 2 ,
Bernardo Guerra Tenório 2 , Calisto Moreno Cardenas 3 ,
Bruno Stéfano Lima Dallago 4 , Serhat Sezai Çiçek 3,5 ,
Roberto Messias Bezerra 6 , Jorge Federico Orellana Segovia 7 ,
8
Elida Cleyse Gomes da Mata Kanzaki 8 , and Isamu Kanzaki *
1 Human Immunology Laboratory, Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences,
University of São Paulo. Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 1730. Butantã, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
2 Tropical Medicine Center, Faculty of Medicine, Darcy Ribeiro University Campus, University of
Brasília, Brasília, DF, Brazil
3 Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, Kiel University, Gutenbergstraße 76, Kiel, Germany
4 Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Biosciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Brasília, Darcy
Ribeiro University Campus, Brasília, DF, Brazil
5 Department of Biotechnology, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Ulmenliet 20, Hamburg,
Germany
6 Laboratory of Bioprospection and Atomic Absorption, Federal University of Amapá, Rod. JK,
Macapá, AP, Brazil
7 Ecoregional Research Unit, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, Rod. JK, Km 5, Macapá,
AP, Brazil
8 Laboratory of Bioprospection, Darcy Ribeiro University Campus, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, DF, Brazil
*Corresponding author:
Isamu Kanzaki
(kanzaki@unb.br)
Abstract
Citation: Napoleão SMS, Alarcão
Bernardes JPR, Tenório BG, Novel antiretroviral drugs are constantly needed for human immunodeficiency
et al. Potential antiviral and
immunomodulatory activity of virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients to confront the
Amazonian medicinal plant continuously emerging resistance to the commonly prescribed combination of anti-
compounds. Microbes & Immunity. HIV synthetic agents and their side effects. Amazonian medicinal plants, Licania
2025;2(2):64-75.
doi: 10.36922/mi.8367 macrophylla (LM) (Chrysobalanaceae) and Ouratea hexasperma (OH) (Ochnaceae),
were assayed for antiretroviral and immunomodulatory activity, by utilizing an
Received: January 2, 2025 established human leukocyte cell line and the simian immunodeficiency virus
Revised: February 1, 2025 (SIV). Interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and interferon-gamma were quantified after
Accepted: March 3, 2025 leukocyte culture was stimulated with ethanolic plant extracts and subsequently
challenged with lentivirus infection. Mitotic activity induced by OH extract was
Published online: March 25, 2025 significantly more pronounced than that of LM extract. Cytokine modulation was
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). observed in SIV-infected cells under independent treatment with OH and LM extracts.
This is an Open-Access article Betulinic acid, niruriflavone, (-)-epigallocatechin, (-)-gallocatechin, and 4’-O-methyl-
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution epigallocatechin were isolated from LM. In summary, the tested extracts hold
License, permitting distribution, application potential in the therapy of HIV/AIDS pathology by regulating cellular
and reproduction in any medium, proliferative activity and cytokine levels, as the isolated compounds from these
provided the original work is
properly cited. plants have been reported to exhibit antiviral activity.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with Keywords: Simian immunodeficiency virus; Human leukocytes; Ouratea hexasperma;
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Licania macrophylla
affiliations.

Volume 2 Issue 2 (2025) 64 doi: 10.36922/mi.8367