Abstract

REVIEW ON ROLE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS IN HIV/AIDS THERAPY

Dhonde Satish Madhukar*, Jadhav Meghraj Dnyaneshwar, Hase Mayur Vasant, Gorde Pragati Shivaji, Ingale Shraddha Kailas and Ghumare Komal Laxman

ABSTRACT

Human immunodeficiency virus, causes a potentially life-threatening, chronic disease called acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), by specifically suppressing the immune system. According to data from the Global Health Observatory, more than 78 million people had been affected by since the pandemic and 39 million people died globally and 36.5 million people (0.6‐0.9%) worldwide as of 2017 were living with in African areas. About 1 in every 25 adults (4.1%) for WHO. The WHO reported that globally only 21.7 million (19.1 million-22.6 million) people have access to antiretroviral therapy as of 2017. Currently, anti-retroviral therapy (ART) is available to control. But the limitations associated with ART, researchers around the world are trying to find and develop more reliable and safer drugs from natural resources for the management of infections. A wide range of medicinal plants have been studied and reported significant potential against such as Rheum palmatum L., Rheum officinal, Trigonostemagyphiophiloides, Veticaastrotricha, Vernoniaamygdalina, Hypoxius Pelargonium, Sidoideshemerocallidea and Sutherlandiafrutescens. Various phytoconstituents isolated from medicinal plants such as alkaloids, flavonoids, polyphenols, terpenoids, tannins, proteins and coumarins to act as immune-modulators to inhibit the life cycle of HIV as well as enhance the immune system of an infected person. There are no well reported side effects. It can be concluded that medicinal plants have potential for the management of AIDS, but to reveal the stringent efficacy and safety concerns by conducting wide-scale clinical trials to ascertain the therapeutic effect of medicinal plants. More study is needed for this.

Keywords: Antiretroviral therapy, Immune system, Medicinal plants, Phytoconstituents, Safety concerns, Specific Anti-HIV activity.