Anti-HIV-1 potential of Tinospora cordifolia extracts: Multi-targeted viral inhibition and immune landscape modulation
- 1ICMR-National Institute of Translational Virology and AIDS Research, Pune, Maharashtra, India
- 2Department of Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering, Manipal University Jaipur, Rajasthan, 303007, India
- 3AYUSH-Center of Excellence, CCIH-Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, 411007, MH, India
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.
Experimental 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.
Results 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.
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BibTeX
@article{harshithkumar2026antihiv1,
title = {{Anti-HIV-1 potential of Tinospora cordifolia extracts: Multi-targeted viral inhibition and immune landscape modulation}},
author = {R. Harshithkumar and Pratiksha Jadaun and Chandrabhan Seniya and Shraddha Y. Gaikwad and Ashwini More and Madhuri Chandane-Tak and Swapnil Borse and Preeti Chavan-Gautam and Girish Tillu and Anupam Mukherjee},
journal = {Journal of traditional and complementary medicine},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1016/j.jtcme.2026.06.003},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13729073},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Anti-HIV-1 potential of Tinospora cordifolia extracts: Multi-targeted viral inhibition and immune landscape modulation
AU - R. Harshithkumar
AU - Pratiksha Jadaun
AU - Chandrabhan Seniya
AU - Shraddha Y. Gaikwad
AU - Ashwini More
AU - Madhuri Chandane-Tak
AU - Swapnil Borse
AU - Preeti Chavan-Gautam
AU - Girish Tillu
AU - Anupam Mukherjee
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/11
JO - Journal of traditional and complementary medicine
DO - 10.1016/j.jtcme.2026.06.003
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13729073
AB - 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. Experimental 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. Results 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.
SN - 2225-4110
ER -