UIC-2010-037 – Aryl naphthalide lignans as anti-HIV agents

There is an estimated 33 million individuals that are infected with the HIV worldwide. Currently, there are many anti-HIV therapeutic drugs in clinical use. Although these drugs have significantly extended the life span of HIV-positive people in wealthy countries, they are noncurative and suffer from diminishing effectiveness due to the development of viral resistance. In addition, many of the existing treatments have adverse side effects that erode patient quality of life. Scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered that glycosidic aryl naphthalide lignans compounds such as Justiprocumin A isolated from the plant Justicia procumbens L. (Acanthaceae) are effective in the treatment of AIDS and HIV infections. These novel aryl naphthalide lignans analogues show significant promise as anti-HIV agents. Svetlana Kurilova skuril2@otm.uic.edu 312-355-1477