Anti-human immunodeficiency virus-1 activity of MoMo30 protein isolated from the traditional African medicinal plant Momordica balsamina.

BACKGROUND: Plants are used in traditional healing practices of many cultures worldwide. Momordica balsamina is a plant commonly used by traditional African healers as a part of a treatment for HIV/AIDS. It is typically given as a tea to patients with HIV/AIDS. Water-soluble extracts of this plant were found to contain anti-HIV activity. METHODS: We employed cell-based infectivity assays, surface plasmon resonance, and a molecular-cell model of the gp120-CD4 interaction to study the mechanism of action of the MoMo30-plant protein. Using Edman degradation results of the 15 N-terminal amino acids, we determined the gene sequence of the MoMo30-plant protein from an RNAseq library from total RNA extracted from Momordica balsamina. RESULTS: Here, we identify the active ingredient of water extracts of the leaves of Momordica balsamina as a 30 kDa protein we call MoMo30-plant. We have identified the gene for MoMo30 and found it is homologous to a group of plant lectins known as Hevamine A-like proteins. MoMo30-plant is distinct from other proteins previously reported agents from the Momordica species, such as ribosome-inactivating proteins such as MAP30 and Balsamin. MoMo30-plant binds to gp120 through its glycan groups and functions as a lectin or carbohydrate-binding agent (CBA). It inhibits HIV-1 at nanomolar levels and has minimal cellular toxicity at inhibitory levels. CONCLUSIONS: CBAs like MoMo30 can bind to glycans on the surface of the enveloped glycoprotein of HIV (gp120) and block entry. Exposure to CBAs has two effects on the virus. First, it blocks infection of susceptible cells. Secondly, MoMo30 drives the selection of viruses with altered glycosylation patterns, potentially altering their immunogenicity. Such an agent could represent a change in the treatment strategy for HIV/AIDS that allows a rapid reduction in viral loads while selecting for an underglycosylated virus, potentially facilitating the host immune response.

Identification of a Novel Anti-HIV-1 Protein from Momordica balsamina Leaf Extract.

Our lab investigates the anti-HIV-1 activity in Momordica balsamina (M. balsamina) leaf extract. Traditional Senegalese healers have used M. balsamina leaf extract as a part of a plant-based treatment for HIV/AIDS infections. Our overall goal is to define and validate the scientific basis for using M. balsamina leaf extract as a part of the traditional Senegalese treatment. As an initial characterization of this extract, we used activity-guided fractionation to determine the active ingredient's solubility and relative size. We found that M. balsamina leaf extract inhibits HIV-1 infection by >50% at concentrations of 0.02 mg/mL and above and is not toxic over its inhibitory range (0-0.5 mg/mL). We observed significantly more antiviral activity in direct water and acetonitrile extractions (p ≤ 0.05). We also observed significantly more antiviral activity in the aqueous phases of ethyl acetate, chloroform, and diethyl ether extractions (p ≤ 0.05). Though most of the antiviral activity partitioned into the aqueous layers, some antiviral activity was present in the organic layers. We show that the active agent in the plant extracts is at least 30 kD in size. Significantly more antiviral activity was retained in 3, 10, and 30 kD molecular weight cutoff filters (p ≤ 0.05). In contrast, most of the antiviral activity passed through the 100 kD filter (p ≤ 0.05). Because the active anti-HIV-1 agent presented as a large, amphiphilic molecule we ran the purified extract on an SDS-page gel. We show that the anti-HIV-1 activity in the leaf extracts is attributed to a 30 kDa protein we call MoMo30. This article describes how MoMo30 was determined to be responsible for its anti-HIV-1 activity.

Effect of meditation on endothelial function in Black Americans with metabolic syndrome: a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVES: Psychological stress may play a role in metabolic syndrome. A consequence of metabolic syndrome is endothelial dysfunction, which is also influenced by psychological stress. We sought to compare the effect of consciously resting meditation (CRM), a sound based meditation, with a control intervention of health education (HE) on endothelial function in the setting of metabolic syndrome. METHODS: Sixty-eight black Americans with metabolic syndrome risk factors (age, 30-65 years) were randomized to either CRM (n = 33) or HE (n = 35); interventions were matched for frequency and duration of sessions and lasted 12 months. Endothelial function was assessed by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. Arterial elasticity, metabolic risk factors, and psychosocial and behavioral variables were secondary end points. RESULTS: Although flow-mediated dilation improved in the CRM group for 12 months, this increase was not significantly higher than that in the HE group (p = .51 for the interaction between group and time). Non-endothelium-dependent dilation and arterial elasticity did not change in either group. Most metabolic syndrome risk factors showed beneficial trends in the CRM group only. A risk factor score counting the number of metabolic syndrome components decreased in the CRM group only (p = .049 for the interaction between treatment group and time). CONCLUSIONS: Among black Americans with metabolic syndrome risk factors, CRM, did not improve endothelial function significantly more than a control intervention of HE. CRM resulted in favorable trends in metabolic syndrome risk factors, which were examined as secondary outcomes.

Natural and traditional medicine in cuba: lessons for u.s. Medical education.

Reprinted with permission from Academic Medicine (Academic Medicine. 81(12):1098-1103, December 2006). The Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Academy of Science has recommended that medical schools incorporate information on CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) into required medical school curricula so that graduates will be able to competently advise their patients in the use of CAM. The report states a need to study models of systems that integrate CAM and allopathic medicine. The authors present Cuba's health care system as one such model and describe how CAM (or natural and traditional medicine) is integrated into all levels of clinical care and medical education in Cuba. The authors examine the Cuban medical school curriculum in which students, residents, and practicing physicians are oriented in the two paradigms of CAM and allopathic medicine. Only health professionals are permitted to practice CAM in Cuba; therefore, Cuba's medical education curriculum incorporates not only teaching about CAM, but it also teaches basic CAM approaches and clinical skills. Both the theory and practice of CAM are integrated into courses throughout the six-year curriculum. Similarities and differences between the U.S. and Cuban approaches to CAM are examined, including issues of access and cost, and levels of acceptance by the medical profession and by the public at large in both countries. The authors conclude that there is potentially much to learn from the Cuban experience to inform U.S. medical educators and institutions in their endeavors to comply with the IOM recommendations and to incorporate CAM into medical school curricula. Acad Med. 2006; 81:1098-1103.

Natural and traditional medicine in Cuba: lessons for U.S. medical education.

The Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Academy of Science has recommended that medical schools incorporate information on CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) into required medical school curricula so that graduates will be able to competently advise their patients in the use of CAM. The report states a need to study models of systems that integrate CAM and allopathic medicine. The authors present Cuba's health care system as one such model and describe how CAM (or natural and traditional medicine) is integrated into all levels of clinical care and medical education in Cuba. The authors examine the Cuban medical school curriculum in which students, residents, and practicing physicians are oriented in the two paradigms of CAM and allopathic medicine. Only health professionals are permitted to practice CAM in Cuba; therefore, Cuba's medical education curriculum incorporates not only teaching about CAM, but it also teaches basic CAM approaches and clinical skills. Both the theory and practice of CAM are integrated into courses throughout the six-year curriculum. Similarities and differences between the U.S. and Cuban approaches to CAM are examined, including issues of access and cost, and levels of acceptance by the medical profession and by the public at large in both countries. The authors conclude that there is potentially much to learn from the Cuban experience to inform U.S. medical educators and institutions in their endeavors to comply with the IOM recommendations and to incorporate CAM into medical school curricula.