{
  "abstract": "Background and aim: Despite the success of antiretroviral therapy, Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) remains a formidable global health challenge due to drug toxicity, resistance, and persistent immune dysfunction. Tinospora cordifolia (TC), an Ayurvedic Rasayana herb, holds immense promise as a phytotherapeutic alternative owing to its dual antiviral and immunomodulatory potential. This study investigated the anti-HIV-1 efficacy and the mechanistic basis of TC extracts.\n\nExperimental procedure: Hydroalcoholic (HATC) and aqueous (AQTC) extracts of TC were evaluated in vitro using TZM-bl cells and primary human PBMCs infected with HIV-1 primary isolates. Antiviral activity, cytotoxicity, viral enzyme inhibition, and immunomodulatory effects were assessed through luciferase assays, ELISA, qRT-PCR, immunoblotting, and cytokine profiling. Molecular docking was performed to identify bioactive phytoconstituents targeting key HIV-1 enzymes.\n\nResults and conclusion: Both TC extracts exhibited potent, dose-dependent anti-HIV-1 activity, with HATC showing superior efficacy. HATC inhibited HIV-1 protease and reverse transcriptase, suppressed GAG (Group-specific Antigen), TAT (Trans-Activator of Transcription), and p24 expression, and modulated macrophage cytokine profiles by controlling IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-10, and TGF-β. Notably, HATC may upregulate Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING)–Interferon beta (IFN-β) signalling, suggesting enhanced innate antiviral defence. Molecular docking revealed strong binding affinities of columbin, tinosporide, and tinosporaside with HIV-1 protease and reverse transcriptase. Experimental validation confirmed that columbin demonstrated potent anti-HIV-1 activity. This is the first comprehensive study to demonstrate that TC extract exerts multi-targeted inhibition of HIV-1 replication and restores immune balance. These findings support its development as a novel adjunct phytotherapy for HIV-1 and warrant further pre-clinical investigation.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "ICMR-National Institute of Translational Virology and AIDS Research, Pune, Maharashtra, India",
    "Department of Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, Manipal University Jaipur, Rajasthan, 303007, India",
    "AYUSH-Center of Excellence, CCIH-Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007, MH, India"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 10,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "R. Harshithkumar"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Pratiksha Jadaun"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Chandrabhan Seniya"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shraddha Y. Gaikwad"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ashwini More"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Madhuri Chandane-Tak"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Swapnil Borse"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Preeti Chavan-Gautam"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Girish Tillu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Anupam Mukherjee"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0y6xc478968vz.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.jtcme.2026.06.003",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13729073/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "0y6xc478968vz",
  "issns": [
    "2225-4110"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13729073",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2406|HIV Research and Treatment"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7164309829",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13729073/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13729073",
  "pmid": "42979297",
  "published": "2026-06-11",
  "publisher": "Elsevier",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0y6xc478968vz.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T15:20:47Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13729073",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13729073"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-07T12:21:54Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13729073",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcme.2026.06.003"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2406|HIV Research and Treatment",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Anti-HIV-1 potential of Tinospora cordifolia extracts: Multi-targeted viral inhibition and immune landscape modulation",
  "title_text": "Anti-HIV-1 potential of Tinospora cordifolia extracts: Multi-targeted viral inhibition and immune landscape modulation",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-07T12:21:54Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0y6xc478968vz",
  "venue": "Journal of traditional and complementary medicine",
  "versions": []
}