Abstract

The use of traditional medicinal plants contribute significantly to the healthcare of
the people of India. The Ayurvedic system of medicine has been in practice for more than 5000
years. Babool or Acacia nilotica has a versatile medicinal value. It has been used in folk medicine
for treating cold, cough, dysentery, ulcers, tuberculosis, leprosy etc. The present study aims at
screening the extracts of the pods of Acacia nilotica for potential anti – HIV activity. The methanol
and water extracts were screened for their in vitro inhibitory effects on viral infection and replication
using the H9 cell line. The extracts of Acacia nilotica exhibited a significant inhibition of the viral
enzyme HIV –1 Reverse Transcriptase. The EC50 of the methanol and water extracts of the pods
of Acacia nilotica was 200 mg / ml. The tannin and non-tannin fractions of water extract exhibited
a significant inhibitory activity. Fraction-I (Tannin fraction) had a much lower EC50 of 10 mg / ml
versus Fraction-II (Non-tannin fraction) which had EC50 of 50 mg/ml.

Key words: Acacia nilotica, HIV - Reverse transcriptase, Anti - viral infection, Viral replication.