Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02401295 2002-09-27
PROCESS FOR PREPARING AN ANTI VIRAL MEDICINAL
PRODUCT FROM PLANT EXTRACTS
This application is divided from Canadian Patent Application Number 2,271,622
filed July 9,
1997.
Technical Field
This invention relates to compositions of matter comprising the antiviral
active
components derived from Chinese herbal medicines, medicinal plants and
extracts thereof,
and to their use for the treatment of humans or animals infected with viruses,
especially with
hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV).
More specifically, the compositions of matter of the present invention are
derived from
various Chinese herbal medicines or medicinal plants which have a long history
of human
consumption. The compositions of matter of the invention are obtained through
specific
techniques and have demonstrated outstanding efficacy for treating human HBV
carriers and
hepatitis C patients. The compositions of matter according to the invention
have also
exhibited in vitro antiviral activities against murine leukemia virus (MuLV)
and HIV. HIV is
the virus known to cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in humans
and AIDS
presents special problems to the medical community which the present invention
addresses.
The active principles of the individual antiviral active herbal medicines or
medicinal plants or
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extracts thereof have been isolated through specific isolation techniques and
have been
characterized through the use of accepted chemical techniques.
Background
Modern medical science is constantly searching for new and more powerful
agents to
prevent, treat or retard bacterial and viral infections and cure the diseases
they cause.
Bacterial and viral infections of humans and domestic animals cost billions of
dollars
annually. Vast sums of money are spent each year by pharmaceutical companies
to identify,
characterize, and produce new antibiotics and antivirals to combat the
emerging drug resistant
strains which have become a serious problem. Reliable prophylactic treatments
for disease
prevention are also of major interest. Yet, despite the costs and efforts to
identify treatments
for viral infections, such as hepatitis and AIDS, effective therapies remain
elusive.
Hepatitis is a disease of the human liver. It is manifested with inflammation
of the
liver and is usually caused by viral infections and sometimes from toxic
agents. Hepatitis
may progress to liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, and eventually death. Several
viruses such as
hepatitis A, B, C, D, E and G are known to cause various types of viral
hepatitis. Among
them, HBV and HCV are the most serious. HBV is a DNA virus with a virion size
of 42 nm.
HCV is a RNA virus with a virion size of 30-60 nm. See D. S. Chen, J. Formos.
Med.
Assoc., 25(1), 6-12 (1996).
Hepatitis B is a major health problem worldwide, especially in Asia and
Africa.
Approximately 300 million people are chronically infected with HBV worldwide.
More than
one nullion carriers of HBV are found in the United States. HBV infection is
currently the
main cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer. HBV carriers are not only long-term
reservoirs of
the virus but also may develop chronic liver disease and have a greatly
increased risk of
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developing liver cirrhosis and cancer. The progression from chronic hepatitis
B to cirrhosis is
frequently insidious and occurs without a noticeable change in symptoms. Once
the
symptoms of cirrhosis or cancer are manifested, therapies are of little value.
Prevention of HBV infection is possible through vaccination which is safe and
effective. However, vaccination is not effective in treating those already
infected, i.e.,
carriers and patients. Many drugs have been used in treating chronic hepatitis
B and none
have been proven to be effective, except interferon. Treatment with interferon
has limited
success and has frequently associated with adverse side effects such as
fatigue, fever, chills,
headache, myalgias, arthralgias, mild alopecia, psychiatric effects and
associated disorders,
autoimmune phenomena and associated disorders and thyroid dysfunction.
Treatment with
interferon for sixteen (16) weeks has been shown to be effective with a
sustained loss of viral
replication in approximately 40% of hepatitis B patients. The great majority
of responders
had normal serum aminotransferase levels and relapse rates appeared to be low.
See R. P.
Perrillo, Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 3$(4), 577-593 (1993). However, a
higher
long-term relapse rate (24%) was reported in Chinese patients with chronic
hepatitis B who
underwent interferon therapy. See A. S. F. Lok, H. T. Chung, V. W. S. Liu, &
O. C. K. Ma,
Gastroenterology,1U(6), 1833-1838 (1993).
Moreover, serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) disappeared in 10-15% of
patients treated with interferon. The loss of HBsAg coincided with the
disappearance of
HBV. Improvement in liver histology was sustained years later in HBsAg-
negative patients.
The lack of disease progression could thus conceivably result in the
prevention of liver cancer
when treatment is provided in the pre-cirrhotic stage of infection. See R. P.
Perrillo,
Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 3$(4), 577-593 (1993).
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Hepatitis C has been previously described as a non-A non-B hepatitis, which is
caused
by HCV. There are approximately 100 million HCV carriers worldwide. An
estimated 3.5
million people have chronic hepatitis C in the United States. HCV infection
will lead to liver
cirrhosis and cancer with less clinical manifestation. Most hepatitis C
patients do not have 5 particular symptoms and can thus be easily overlooked
until it is too late for therapy. This
poses a potentially more serious problem than hepatitis B. HCV carriers also
become
long-term reservoirs of the virus and eventually develop chronic liver disease
and have a
greatly increased risk of developing liver cinhosis and cancer. See D. S.
Chen, Science, 2.62,
369-370 (1993).
io No effective immunization is currently available, and hepatitis C can only
be
controlled by preventive measures such as improvement in hygiene and sanitary
conditions
and interrupting the route of transmission. At present, the only acceptable
treatment for
chronic hepatitis C is interferon which requires at least six (6) months of
treatment. Initial
treatment has a response rate of about 50%. However, half of those responding
relapse after
is cessation of interferon treatment. Therefore, only about 25% of patients
have a sustained
response. See D. S. Chen, J. Formos. Med. Assoc., 2~(1), 6-12 (1996) and N.
Terrault & T.
Wright, New Engl. J. Med., M(22), 1509-1511 (1995). Because the interferon
therapy has
limited efficacy and frequent adverse effects, a more effective regimen is
needed.
AIDS is a deadly disease caused by HIV. It has been plaguing the world since
the
20 first description of the disease in 1981 and the discovery of its causative
agent, HIV, in 1983.
About 13 million people were infected with HIV worldwide in 1993 and the
number has
increased to about 21 million in 1996. See B. Jasny, Science, 2 Q(5112), 1219
(1993) and P.
Piot, Science, ZZ2(5270), 1855 (1996).
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Several drugs have been approved for treatment of this devastating disease,
such as
azidovudine (AZT), didanosine (dideoxyinosine, ddl), d4T, zalcitabine
(dideoxycytosine,
ddC), nevirapine, lamivudine (epivir, 3TC), saquinavir (Invirase), ritonavir
(Norvir),
indinavir (Crixivan), and delavirdine (Rescriptor). See M. I. Johnston & D. F.
Hoth, Science,
260(5112), 1286-1293 (1993) and D. D. Richman, Science, 212(5270), 1886-1888
(1996).
All drugs currently approved for AIDS treatment utilize inhibition of viral
proliferation and are viral reverse transcriptase inhibitors or viral protease
inhibitors. More
protease inhibitors, such as nelfinavir and improved saquinavir, are in
development. An
AIDS vaccine (Salk's vaccine) has been tested and several proteins which are
chemokines
from CD8 have been discovered to act as HIV suppressors.
In addition to the above synthetic nucleoside analogs, proteins, and
antibodies, several
plants and substances derived from plants have been found to have in vitro
anti-HIV activity,
such as Lonicerajaponica and Prunella vulgaris, and glycyrrhizin from
Glycyrrhiza radix.
See R. S. Chang & H. W. Yeung, Antiviral Research, Q, 163-175 (1988) and M.
Ito, et al.,
is Antiviral Research, Z, 127-137 (1987).
Despite all of the available pharmaceuticals for the treatment of HIV, there
is still no
cure for the deadly disease. HIV viruses continue to mutate and become
resistant to existing
drugs such as the reverse transcriptase and protease inhibitors. Recently, a
therapy of using
two (2) or three (3) anti-HIV drugs in combination has been found effective in
significantly
lowering the HIV loads in AIDS patients. The results have been promising.
However, the
virus continues to develop resistance to the drugs and the long-term outcome
(survival and
cure rates) is still unknown. Thus, the medical communities throughout the
world continue
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to search for drugs that can prevent the HIV infections, treat the HIV
carriers to prevent them
from progressing to full-blown deadly AIDS, and treat the AIDS patients.
Herbal Medicines
The use of herbal drugs and folk medicines have been known for thousands of
years in
China. These herbal approaches to the treatment of numerous illnesses, from
arthritis to viral
infections, have been previously viewed by western medicine as ineffective and
dangerous.
During the 19th century, many home remedies containing herbs were patented and
sold.
Modern drugs have replaced those remedies, but many modem drugs contain
ingredients
io derived from herbs. For example, in 1776 the English botanist and physician
William
Withering learned that an herbal tea made by an old farm woman was effective
in treating
dropsy, or excess water in the tissues, which is caused by the inability of
the heart to pump
strongly enough. He found that one ingredient of the tea, which was made from
leaves of the
foxglove plant, strengthened the heart's pumping ability. The drug made from
the foxglove
plant is now known as digitalis.
Folk medicine is a relatively modem term to the West and has come to mean the
care
and treatment of the sick through a variety of herbal medicines. In recent
years, folk
medicines have become of increasing interest to many people in the western
scientific
medical community.
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Prior Art - Herbal Medicines
A Chinese herbal medicine known as AEGINETIAE HERBA has traditionally been
used to treat illnesses such as swollen and sore throat, urinary tract
infection, osteomyelitis,
s boil, tonsillitis, goiter, pharyngitis, thyroiditis, enteritis, liver
disease, cancer, rheumatism,
hematemesis, neurasthenia, eye redness, piles, menstruation inegularity,
dropsy, jaundice,
hernia, snake bite, and child developmental retardation. AEGINETIAE HERBA is
prepared
from the dried whole plant of Aeginetia indica which belongs to the family of
Orobanchaceae. Treatment dosage using the dried plant is typically from 4 to
150 g per day.
It should be noted that the plant tastes bitter and is toxic.
Okubo et al. disclose that a phosphate buffered saline (PBS) extract (pH 7.2
at
ambient to 4 C) from the seeds of Aeginetia indica exhibits excellent
carcinostatic effect and
possesses interieukin-2 and interferon-y inducing potency. The PBS was a 0.1 M
phosphate
buffered physiological saline at pH 7.2, not containing calcium or magnesium
ions. The
i5 extracted substance is taught to be a macromolecular polysaccharide which
may or may not
contain lipid A binding with protein depending on whether the extraction is
conducted using
butanol or phenol. The extracted substance was soluble in water and insoluble
in n-butanol.
Its molecular weight was within the range of 100,000 to 200,000 dalton. See S.
Okubo, M.
Sato, & K. Himeno, U.S. Patent No. 5,366,725, issued on November 22, 1994.
A Chinese herbal medicine known as BAPHICACANTHIS RI-iIZOMA ET RADIX
has traditionally been used to treat numerous illnesses such as fever,
abscess, erysipelas,
swollen sore throat, headache, jaundice, plague, leucorrhea, and syphilis.
BAPHICACANTHIS RHIZOMA ET RADIX is prepared from the dried rhizoma and root of
Baphicacanthes cusia, Strobilanthes cusia, Isatis tinctoria, Isatis
indigotica, or Polygonum
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tinctorium. It has been reported that this herbal medicine has exhibited
inhibition of flu virus
in vitro. A decoction from boiling the root of Isatis tinctoria in water has
also exhibited
antibacterial effect. Baphicacanthes cusia and Strobilanthes cusia belong to
the family of
Acanthaceae. Isatis tinctoria and Isatis indigotica belong to the family of
Cruciferae.
s Polygonum tinctorium belongs to the family of Polygonaceae. Treatment doses
are typically
to 19 g per day for BAPHICACANTHIS RHIZOMA ET RADIX.
Ho et al. disclose the use of an extract from a mixture of herbs including
Isatis
tinctoria for the in vitro inhibition of HIV infection in human T lymphocyte
cells and
mononuclear phagocytic lineage cells. The activity was based on the test
results of a water
10 extract from a mixture of three herbs: lsatis tinctoria (or Isatis
indigotica), Lonicera
japonica, and Polygonum bistorta. See D. D. Ho & X. S. Li, U.S. Patent No.
5,178,865,
issued on January 12, 1993.
A compound known as tryptanthrin has been identified as the principal
antifungal
agent in the leaf of Strobilanthes cusia and as the main antidermatophytic
substance in the
leaf of Polygonum tinctorium and Isatis tinctoria. See H. Y. Hsu, Y. P. Chen,
& M. Hong,
The Chemical Constituents Of Oriental Herbs, Vol. 2, Oriental Healing Arts
Institute, Los
Angeles, California, U.S.A., 758-759 (1985).
The Chinese herbal medicine known as BLECHNI RHIZOMA, which is also known
as DRYOPTERIS CRASSIRHIZOMAE RHIZOMA has traditionally been used to treat
illnesses such as cut injury, swelling, fever, measles and erysipelas. BLECHNI
RHIZOMA is
prepared from the dried root and stem of Blechnum orientale which belongs to
the family of
Polypodiaceae or Blechnaceae. DRYOPTERIS CRASSIRHIZOMAE RHIZOMA is
prepared from the dried root and stem of Dryopteris crassirhizoma which
belongs to the
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family of Aspidiaceae. Osmundajaponica (Osmundaceae family), Woodwardia
orientalis
and Woodwardia unigemmata (Blechnaceae family), Athyrium acrostichoides
(Aspidiaceae
or Athyriaceae family), Sphaeropteris lepifera (Cyatheaceae family), Cyrtomium
falcatum,
and Cyrtomium fortunei (Aspidiaceae family) have also been used for
preparation of these
s herbal medicines. These herbal medicines taste bitter and astringent and are
slightly toxic.
Treatment dosages are typically 4 to 11 g per day.
Blechnum orientale has also shown a strong inhibition effect against the
influenza
virus. Filmarone, filicin, aspidin, albaspidin, and filicic acid which are
found in Dryopteris
crassirhizoma have been characterized as having an anthelmintic effect. See H.
Y. Hsu, Y. P.
Chen, S. G. Hsu, J. S. Hsu, C. J. Chen, & H. C. Chang, Concise Pharmacognosy,
New
Medicine Publishing Co., Taipei, R.O.C., 577-578 (1985); and H. Y. Hsu, Y. P.
Chen, & M.
Hong, The Chemical Constituents Of Oriental Herbs, Oriental Healing Arts
Institute, Los
Angeles, California, U.S.A., 249-250 (1982).
Hozumi et al. disclose the rhizome of Dryopteris crassirhizoma as an
antiherpesviral
agent, antipolioviral agent, and anti-varicella-zoster virus agent. The
rhizome of Cyrtomium
fortunei and the rhizome of Woodwardia orientalis are also disclosed as
antiherpesviral,
antipolioviral, anti-measles virus, anti-varicella-zoster virus, and anti-
cytomegalovirus
(CMV) agents, as well as an anti-DNA and anti-RNA virus agent. See T. Hozumi,
T.
Matsumoto, H. Ooyama, T. Namba, K. Shiraki, M. Hattori, M. Kurokawa, & S.
Kadota, U.S.
Patent No. 5,411,733, issued May 2, 1995.
A Chinese herbal medicine known as BLETILLAE TUBER has traditionally been
used to treat illnesses such as hemoptysis, epistaxis, hematemesis, abscess,
bum, dry and
chapped skin, tuberculosis, gastric ulcer, and sores. BLETILLAE TUBER has
astringent,
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antibacterial and antifungal properties. BLETILLAE TUBER is prepared from the
dried
tuber of Bletilla striata which belongs to the family of Orchidaceae.
BLETILLAE TUBER
tastes bittersweet, astringent and is nontoxic. Treatment dose is typically 2
to l I g per day
for an average human.
Chinese herbal medicines known as CIRSII RHIZOMA ET RADIX and BREEAE
RADIX have traditionally been used to treat illnesses such as hematemesis,
acute infectious
hepatitis, cut bleeding, sores, and abscess. CIRSII RHIZOMA ET RADIX is
prepared from
the dried rhizoma or root or the whole plant of plants such as
Cirsiumjaponicum, Cirsium
albescens, and Cirsiumjaponicum var. australe which are from the Compositae
family.
io BREEAE RADIX is prepared from the dried root of Compositae family plants
such as Breea
segetum (also known as Cephalanoplos segetum) and Breea setosum. Both herbal
medicines
taste sweet and slightly bitter, and are nontoxic. Treatment dose is typically
5 to 75 g per day
for the average human.
A Chinese herbal medicine known as DICHONDRAE HERBA has traditionally been
used to treat illnesses such as jaundice, dysentery, gonorrhea, dropsy,
swollen boil,
convulsion, encephalitis, rheumatism, hernia, diabetes mellitus, and
hypertension.
DICHONDRAE HERBA is prepared from the dried whole plant of Dichondra repens or
Dichondra micrantha which belongs to the family of Convolvulaceae. The plant
tastes bitter
and is nontoxic. Treatment dosage of the dried plant is typically 10 to 40 g
per day. Nine (9)
compounds which were isolated from n-hexane and ethanol extracts of the whole
herb of
Dichondra micrantha have been identified. These compounds are maltol,
umbelliferone,
scopoletin, umbelliferone-7-O-glucopyranoside, scopolin, astragalin,
isoquercitrin,
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kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, and quercetin-3-O-rutinoside. See C.-J. Chou, L.-C.
Lin, S.-Y.
Hsu and C.-F. Chen, J. Chin. Med., 4(2), 143-149 (1993).
A Chinese herbal medicine known as FORSYTHIAE FRUCTUS has traditionally
been used to treat illnesses such as sores, abscess, lymph node swelling,
urethritis, and
hypertension. It was also found to inhibit several bacteria and influenza
virus.
FORSYTHIAE FRUCTUS is prepared from the dried mature fruit of Forsythia
suspensa,
Forsythia viridissima, or Forsythia koreana which belong to the family
Oleaceae. The herbal
medicine tastes bitter and is nontoxic. Treatment dosage is typically 3 to 11
g per day.
Hozumi et al. disclose that the fruit of Forsythia suspensa is an
antipolioviral agent
and an anti-measles virus agent useful in treating these viral infections. See
T. Hozumi, T.
Matsumoto, H. Ooyama, T. Namba, K. Shiraki, M. Hattori, M. Kurokawa, & S.
Kadota, U.S.
Patent No. 5,411,733, issued May 2, 1995.
The compounds forsythoside A (found in the leaf of Forsythia suspensa),
forsythoside
B (found in the stem of Forsythia koreana), and forsythoside C and
forsythoside D (found in
the fruit of Forsythia suspensa) have been reported to exhibit antibacterial
activity against
Staphylococcus aureus at a concentration less than 2 mM. Suspensaside (found
in the fruit of
Forsythia suspensa, likely the same as forsythoside C) has also been reported
to exhibit
antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus Terashima with a minimum
inhibition
concentration (MIC) of 2.6 mg/mL. See H.Y. Hsu, T.P. Chen & M. Hong, The
Chemical
Constituents of Oriental Herbs, Vol. 2, Oriental Healing Arts Institute, Los
Angeles,
California, U.S.A., 53-55, 142-143 (1985).
. A Chinese herbal medicine known as HEDYOTIS (also known as OLDENLANDIAE
HERBA) has traditionally been used to treat illnesses such as urethra
infection, pharyngitis,
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laryngitis, tonsillitis, subacute or chronic coccygodynia, appendicitis,
intestinal cancer,
contusion injury and eye disease. It has also been found to have weak
antibacterial activity in
vitro. HEDYOTIS is prepared from the dried whole plant of Hedyotis diffusa
(also known as
Oldenlandia dijjusa) which belongs to the family Rubiaceae. The herbal
medicine tastes
sweet and is nontoxic. Treatment dosage is typically 19 to 300 g per day.
The Chinese herbal medicines known as LESPEDEZAE HERBA and SENECINIS
HERBA have traditionally been used to treat illnesses such as urine
incontinence, gonorrhea,
asthma, stomach ache, general weakening and exhaustion, diarrhea, contusion
injury, eye
disease, eye redness, renal disease, acute inflammatory disease, cataract,
dysentery, enteritis,
jaundice, flu, septicemia, sore, swelling, and a disease of the palm.
LESPEDEZAE HERBA
is prepared from the dried whole plant of Lespedeza cuneala which belongs to
the family
Leguminosae. SENECINIS HERBA is prepared from the dried whole plant of Senecio
scandens which belongs to the family Compositae. The extracts of Lespedeza
cuneata and
Senecio scandens have been shown to have an antibacterial effect. Both herbs
taste sour,
is astringent and bitter. Treatment dose is typically 4 to 40 g per day.
A Chinese herbal medicine known as LIGUSTRI FRUCTUS has traditionally been
used as a tonic and to treat illnesses such as insomnia, constipation, early
white hair, neck
lymph nodes tuberculosis and dropsy. LIGUSTRI FRUCTUS is prepared from the
dried
mature fruit of Ligustrum lucidum or Ligustrumjaponicum which belongs to the
family
Oleaceae. The leaves of Ligustrum lucidum have been used as an antipyretic,
analgesic, and
anti-inflammatory agent. The leaves of Ligustrum japonicum have also been used
to treat
illnesses such as ophthalmalgia, ulcerative stomatitis, mastitis, swelling,
and burn. The fruits
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of Ligustrum lucidum taste bitter and are nontoxic. Treatment dosage of the
dried fruits is
typically 6 to 20 g per day. That of the dried leaves is typically 40 to 75 g
per day.
A Chinese herbal medicine known as LONICERAE FLOS has traditionally been used
to treat illnesses such as fever, acute infectious diseases, measles,
carbuncle, dysentery,
s enteritis, ringworm and similar skin diseases. LONICERAE FLOS is prepared
from the
dried flower bud of Lonicerajaponica or Lonicera confusa. Both plants belong
to the family
Caprifoliaceae. The flower of Lonicerajaponica has diuretic, antipyretic, anti-
inflammatory,
anti-convulsive, antibacterial and antiviral properties. The flower bud has
also been used as a
diuretic. The herbal medicine tastes sweet and is nontoxic. Treatment dosage
is typically 11
to 75 g per day for the typical human.
Ho et al. disclose the anti-HIV activity in vitro of a mixture of
Lonicerajaponica,
Isatis tinctoria (or Isatis indigotica) and Polygonum bistorta or a mixture of
Lonicera
japonica with Scutellaria baicalensis. Water extractions of the mixtures,
treatment with
ethanol precipitation and charcoal adsorption are disclosed for the
preparation of the anti-HIV
is active composition. See D. D. Ho & X. S. Li, U.S. Patent No. 5,178,865,
issued on January
12, 1993. Several tannins such as caffeoylquinates isolated from
Lonicerajaponica have
been reported to have an inhibitory effect on HiV-1 reverse transcriptase
activity. See C.-W.
Chang, M.-T. Lin, S.-S. Lee, K.C.S.C. Liu, F.-L. Hsu, & J.-Y. Lin, Antiviral
Research, a
367-374 (1995).
A mixture of aqueous extracts of Lonicerajaponica flower buds and Forsythia
suspensa fruits with the crude flavenoids from Scutellaria baicalensis has
been shown to
have antibacterial and antiviral properties. A group of patients with severe
respiratory disease
were treated with the mixture and they responded as well as a control group on
standard
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antibiotic therapy. See P. J. Houghton, Z. Boxu, & Z. Xisheng, Phytother.
Res., Z, 384-386
(1993).
A Chinese herbal medicine known as PHELLODENDRI CORTEX has traditionally
been used to treat illnesses such as dysentery, diarrhea, jaundice, stools
with blood,
abdominal pain, indigestion, bacteroid enteritis, and tuberculoid dianhea. The
herbal
medicine has also been used to prepare an eye wash, for strengthening stomach
and intestine
to stimulate appetite, and as an astringent, anti-inflammatory, etc. It has
antibacterial,
anti-inflammatory, and wound healing properties. PHELLODENDRI CORTEX is
prepared
from the dried cortex of plants from the Rutaceae family such as Phellodendron
amurense,
Phellodendron chinense, Phellodendron amurense var. sachalinense, and
Phellodendron
wilsonii. PHELLODENDRI CORTEX tastes bitter and is nontoxic. Treatment dose is
typically I to 11 g per day.
Hozumi et al. disclose the bark of Phellodendron amurense as antiherpesviral,
antipolioviral, anti-measles virus, anti-varicella-zoster virus, and anti-CMV
agents, as well as
an anti-DNA virus and anti-RNA virus agent. See T. Hozumi, T. Matsumoto, H.
Ooyama, T.
Namba, K. Shiraki, M. Hattori, M. Kurokawa, & S. Kadota, U.S. Patent No.
5,411,733,
issued on May 2, 1995.
A Chinese herbal medicine known as POLYGONI CUSPIDATI RHIZOMA has
traditionally been used to treat illnesses such as dysentery, menorrhagia,
dysmenorrhea,
dysuria, infantile growth retardation, and appendicitis. POLYGONI CUSPIDATI
RHIZOMA is prepared from the dried rhizoma of Polygonum cuspidatum, Polygonum
runcinatum, or Polygonum reynoutria (also known as Reynoutriajaponica) which
belong to
the family Polygonaceae. The tender leaf has also been used to treat contusion
and cut
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injuries. Extract of the herbal medicine has exhibited antibacterial and
antiviral effects in
vitro. Excessive use of the herbal medicine may cause a slight diarrhea. The
herbal medicine
tastes bitter and the treatment dose is typically 6 to 40 g per day.
Hozumi et al. disclose the root and rhizome of Polygonum cuspidatum as an
antiherpesviral, antipolioviral, anti-varicella-zoster virus, and anti-CMV
agent. See T.
Hozumi, T. Matsumoto, H. Ooyama, T. Namba, K. Shiraki, M. Hattori, M.
Kurokawa, & S.
Kadota, U.S. Patent No. 5,411,733, issued on May 2, 1995.
Resveratrol has been reported as an antifungal and antibacterial component in
the root
of Polygonum cuspidatum. See H. Y. Hsu, Y. P. Chen, & M. Hong, The Chemical
Constituents Of Oriental Herbs, Vol. 2, Oriental Healing Arts Institute, Los
Angeles,
Califonnia, U.S.A., 51 (1985).
A Chinese herbal medicine known as PRUNELLAE SPICA has traditionally been
used to treat illnesses such as goiter, hemorrhoids, swollen eye,
ophthalmalgia, gonorrhea,
uterine disease, mastitis, breast abscess, breast cancer, chronic arthritis,
conjunctivitis, and
hypertension. PRUNELLAE SPICA is prepared from the dried spica or whole plant
of
Prunelia vulgaris or Prunella vulgaris subsp. asiatica (also known as Prunella
vulgaris var.
lilachina). Both plants belong to the family Labiatae. The whole plant can be
used as a
diuretic and also has antibacterial effect in vitro. The herbal medicine
tastes bitter and is
nontoxic. Treatment dosage is typically 4 to I 10 g per day for the average
human.
Hozumi et al. disclose the spike of Prunella vulgaris as an antiherpesviral
agent for
treating herpes virus infection. See T. Hozumi, T. Matsumoto, H. Ooyama, T.
Namba, K.
Shiraki, M. Hattori, M. Kurokawa, & S. Kadota, U.S. Patent No. 5,411,733,
issued May 2,
1995. The water extract of Prunella vulgaris (boiling 3 g in 100 mL water for
45 minutes)
CA 02401295 2002-09-27
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has also been reported to have anti-HIV (strain H9/3B) activity. The extract
also exhibited
synergistic anti-HIV activity with zidovudine (AZT) and didanosine (ddl). Only
a slight
additive effect was observed for Prunella vulgaris and zalcitabine (ddC). See
J. F. John, R.
Kuk, & A. Rosenthal, Absir. Gen. Meet. Am. Soc. Microbiol., $1481 (1994).
s Yamasaki et al. evaluate in vitro two hundred four (204) crude drugs of
common use
in Japan for anti-HIV-1 activity and reported that the hot water extract of
Prunella vulgaris
(spike) showed a strong in vitro anti-HIV-] activity with an ICIOO of 16
g/mL. See K.
Yamasaki, T. Otake, H. Mori, M. Morimoto, N. Ueba, Y. Kurokawa, K. Shiota, &
T. Yuge,
Yakugaku Zasshi, M(11), 818-824 (1993).
Yao et al. reported that the water extract of the dried entire plant of
Prunella vulgaris
was active in vitro in inhibiting HIV-1. replication with relatively low
cytotoxicity towards the
MT-4 cells. The extract was also active in reverse transcriptase inhibition.
The active factor
was purified and identified as anionic with a molecular weight of
approximately 10,000
dalton. This active component may be the same as the prunellin, as described
below by
1s Tabba, et al. The purified extract inhibited HIV- I replication in the
lymphoid cell line MT-4,
in the monocytoid cell line U937, and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells
(PBMC) at
effective concentrations of 6, 30, and 12.5 pg/mL, respectively. Pretreatment
of uninfected
cells with the extract prior to viral exposure did not prevent HIV-1
infection. Preincubation
of HIV-1 with the purified extract dramatically decreased infectiousness. The
purified extract
was also able to block cell-to-cell transmission of HIV-1, prevented syncytium
formation, and
interfered with the ability of both HIV-I and purified gp120 to bind to CD4.
PCR
(polymerase chain reaction) analysis confirmed the absence of HIV-1 proviral
DNA in cells
exposed to virus in the presence of the extract. The results suggested that
the purified extract
16
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WO 98/01144 PCT/US97/12293
antagonized HIV-1 infection of susceptible cells by preventing viral
attachment to the CD4
receptor. See X. J. Yao, M. A. Wainberg, & M. A. Parniak, Virology, l,$Z(1),
56-62 (1992).
Tabba et al. isolated and partially characterized an anti-HIV component,
prunellin,
from aqueous extracts of dried inflorescence of Prunella vulgaris. Prunellin
is a carbohydrate
s with an MIC (minimum inhibition concentration) of 2.2 g/mL against HIV-1 in
vitro. It was
identified as a partially sulfated polysaccharide with a molecular weight of
about 10,000
dalton. See H. D. Tabba, R. S. Chang, & K. M. Smith, Antiviral Research,,u,
263-273
(1989).
Zheng evaluated four hundred seventy two (472) traditional medicinal herbs for
antiviral effect on type I herpes simplex virus (HSV l). Prunella vulgaris was
one of the ten
herbs found to be highly effective in vitro. Clinically, 78 cases of herpetic
keratitis due to
HSV 1 were treated with Prunella vulgaris and Pyrrosia lingua eye drops. Among
them, 38
cases were effectively cured, 37 cases showed an improvement, and 3 cases
showed no
benefit. See M. Zheng, J. Tradit. Chin. Med, $(3), 203-206 (1988).
Triterpene 1 and triterpene 2 which have been isolated from Prunella vulgaris
have
shown antiviral activity against HSV I. Triterpene I was identified as
betulinic acid and
triterpene 2 was identified as 2a,3a-dihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid. The ECSO
was
estimated to be 30 g/mL for triterpene I and 8 g/mL for triterpene 2 by
plaque reduction
assay. See S. Y. Ryu, C-K. Lee, C. 0. Lee, H. S. Kim, & 0. P. Zee, Arch.
Pharmaeal Res.
(Seoul), U(3), 242-245 (1992).
A Chinese herbal medicine known as SCUTELLARIAE BARBATAE HERBA has
traditionally been used to treat illnesses such as hematemesis, gonorrhea with
traces of blood,
sores, cancer, convulsion, pneumonia, enteritis, coccygodynia, appendicitis,
asthma, malaria,
17
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WO 98/01144 PCTNS97/12293
and rheumatism. It was also found to have antibacterial effect. SCUTELLARIAE
BARBATAE HERBA is prepared from the dried whole plant of Scutellaria barbata,
Scutellaria rivularis, or Scutellaria dependens which belong to the family
Labiatae. The
herbal medicine tastes bitter and should not be consumed by those who have
anemia.
Pregnant women should avoid taking this herb. Treatment dosage is typically 4
to 300 g per
day.
Dried whole plants of Scutellaria rivularis have been used in folk medicine
for the
treatment of tumors, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and other diseases in China
and Taiwan. See Y.
L. Lin, Y. H. Kuo, G. H. Lee, and S. M. Peng, J. Chem. Research (S), 320-321
(1987).
Apigenin, isolated from the whole herb of Scutellaria rivularis, was found to
have
anti-influenza virus activity. See T. Nagai, et al., Chem. Pharm. Bull.,
2$(5), 1329-1332
(1990).
A Chinese herbal medicine known as SOLANI HERBA has traditionally been used to
treat illnesses such as boil, acute nephritis, cancer and sores. SOLANI HERBA
is prepared
from the dried whole plant of Solanum nigrum which belongs to the family
Solanaceae. The
extract of SOLANI HERBA has demonstrated anti-inflammatory property. The fruit
has also
exhibited the effects of suppressing coughs and relieving bronchial
inflammation. The
herbal medicine tastes bitter and slightly sweet, and is nontoxic. Treatment
dosage is
typically 11 to 60 g per day.
The compound solasonine (found in the whole herb, fruit, leaf, and fresh
immature
berries of Solanum nigrum) has an anti-inflammatory effect similar to
cortisone. Solasonine
and solanine (also found in Solanum nigrum) possess the ability of raising or
lowering the
blood sugar level in rats depending on the situation of the animals.
Solasonine was also
18
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WO 98/01144 PCT/US97/12293
reported to have a stimulating effect on the heart, while solanine had a
suppressive effect.
When administered at small doses, solasonine enhances the stimulative process
of the central
nerve system in animals (i.e., rat and rabbit). On the other hand, it enhances
the suppressive
process when administered at large doses. Solasonine can also lower the blood
coagulability.
See (1) H. Y. Hsu, Y. P. Chen, S. G. Hsu, J. S. Hsu, C. J. Chen, & H. C.
Chang, Concise
Pharmacognosy, New Medicine Publishing Co., Taipei, R.O.C., 176-177 (1985);
(2) H. Y.
Hsu, Y. P. Chen, & M. Hong, The Chemical Constituents Of Oriental Herbs,
Oriental
Healing Arts Institute, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., 1400-1401, 1406
(1982); and (3) H.
Y. Hsu, Y. P. Chen, & M. Hong, The Chemical Constituents Of Oriental Herbs,
Vol. 2,
io Oriental Healing Arts Institute, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., 742
(1985).
Combinations of herbal medicines such as LONICERAE FLOS,
BAPHICACANTHIS RHIZOMA ET RADIX, and FORSYTHIAE FRUCTUS have been
used as antipyretic and detoxification agents and for treating acute
hepatitis. The herbal
medicines BLECHNI RHIZOMA and POLYGONI CUSPIDATI RHIZOMA have been used
is along with other herbal medicines in a formula for treating Hepatitis B.
The herbal medicines
SCUTELLARIAE BARBATAE HERBA and LIGUSTRI FRUCTUS have occasionally been
added with other herbal medicines into the above formula to improve the
treatment. The
herbal medicine LIGUSTRI FRUCTUS was occasionally used along with other herbal
medicines mainly as a tonic and the herbal medicine HEDYOTIS has been
occasionally used
20 along with other herbal medicines as a detoxification agent. The herbal
medicine
PRUNELLAE SPICA has also been used along with other herbal medicines to telief
liver
stress.
19
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WO 9801144 PCT/US97/12293
Chang and Yeung screened the boiling water extracts of twenty seven (27)
medicinal
herbs for anti-HIV activity. They found eleven (11) of the extracts were
active in inhibiting
HIV in the H9 cells. Lonicerajaponica, Prunella vulgaris, Woodwardia
unigemmata, and
Senecto scandens were among those active ones with moderate activities.
Forsythia
suspensa, Isatis tinctoria, and Polygonum cuspidatum were among those tested
which did not
display activity in the anti-HIV assay. The anti-HIV active extract of Viola
yedoensis was
further tested and found to be fairly specific. The extract did not inactivate
HIV
extracellularly and did not inhibit the growth of herpes simplex, polio, or
vesicular stomatitis
viruses in human fibroblast culture. See R. S. Chang & H. W. Yeung, Antiviral
Research, Q,
163-175 (1988).
Antiviral agents have been isolated from S~zygium aromaticum, Sapium
sebiferum,
Scutellaria baicalensis, and Scutellaria rivularis. Eugeniin (a tannin)
isolated from Syzygiu-n
aromaticum and methyl gallate isolated from Sapium sebiferum exhibited anti-
herpes simplex
virus activity in vitro. Plant flavenoids, such as 5,7,4'-trihydroxy-8-
methoxyflavone from the
is root of Scutellaria baicalensis and apigenin (5,7,4'-trihydroxyflavone)
from the whole herb
Scutellaria rivularis, were also reported to have anti-influenza virus
activity. See (1) T.
Hozumi, et al., U.S. Patent No. 5,411,733 (1995); (2) M. Takechi & Y. Tanaka,
Planta
Medica, 4.2, 69-74 (1981); (3) C. J. M. Kane, et al, Bioscience Reports, 1, 85-
94 (1988); and
(4) T. Nagai, et al., Chem. Pharm. Bull., .U(5), 1329-1332 (1990).
Hozumi et al. investigated ninety one (91) herbal medicines which demonstrated
antiviral activity. More specifically, fifty two (52) of them had
antiherpesviral activity, sixty
four (64) had antipolioviral activity, thirty seven (37) had anti-measles
virus activity, twenty
seven (27) had anti-varicella-zoster virus activity, twenty three (23) had
anti-CMV activity,
CA 02401295 2002-09-27
WO 98/01144 PGT/iJS97112293
and twenty eight (28) had anti-DNA virus and anti-RNA virus activity. See T.
Hozumi, T.
Matsumoto, H. Ooyama, T. Namba, K. Shiraki, M. Hattori, M. Kurokawa, & S.
Kadota, U.S.
Patent No. 5,411,733, issued on May 2, 1995. The anti-DNA virus and anti-RNA
virus
activity of the twenty eight (28) herbal medicines disclosed in the 5,411,733
patent was based
s upon their antiherpesviral, antipolioviral, anti-measles virus, and/or anti-
varicella-zoster virus
and anti-CMV activities. However, the extrapolation to cover both anti-DNA
virus and
anti-RNA virus activities is unfounded from the experiments conducted.
The data of the present invention, presented below, evidenced little or no
anti-HIV
activity of the two herbal medicines at 2.5 and 0.5 mg/mL derived from the
rhizome of
Cyrtomium fortunei and the bark of Phellodendron amurense. In contrast, the
three (3) herbal
medicines using the spike of Prunella vulgaris, the fruit of Forsythia
suspensa, and the root
and rhizome of Polygonum cuspidalum will be shown to have a strong to moderate
anti-HIV
activity at 2.5 mg/mL. Prunella vulgaris has also been reported by others as
described above
to have a very good anti-HIV activity.
1 s It is noted that in the practice of traditional Chinese medicine, herbal
medicines were
used to treat the symptoms of the patients, not the disease or causative agent
itself, and are
therefore not known to be specific to a particular disease. Herbal medicines
were prescribed
depending on the symptoms of the individual patient. The composition of herbal
medicines
also vary case by case and may even change for each individual patient during
the course of
the treatment according to each treatment result. It is therefore very
difficult to describe a
particular herbal composition from the prior art suitable for treating a
specific disease.
The present invention is directed to the discovery of antiviral herb
compositions,
extracts thereof and the active chemical constituents thereof. The antiviral
herb compositions
21
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WO 98/01144 PCT/US97/12293
of this invention are derived from individual herbs, herb mixtures and
commercialiy available
Chinese herbal medicines. These novel herb compositions and their extracts
and/or active
principles are demonstrated herein as active against viral diseases such as
HBV and HCV
carriers, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV infection and AIDS.
$rief Description of the Drawings
To acquaint persons skilled in the art with the principles of the invention,
reference is
made to the attached drawings which form a part of this specification.
io Figure 1 is the HPSEC UV profile at 214 nm ofNo.5(5)E-A-AP1X, the one time
purified acid precipitable active component of No.5(5)E-A in acid form;
wherein No.5(5)E-A
is the C 18-SPE-LC water eluate fraction of No.5(5).
Figure 2 is the HPSEC UV profile at 214 nm of No.5(5)E-C-AP, the acid
precipitable
active component of No.5(5)E-C in acid form; wherein No.5(5)E-C is the C I 8-
SPE-LC 1%
HCl/water eluate fraction of No.5(5).
For these two Figures 1 and 2, the column for the HPSEC (high performance size
exclusion chromatography) analysis was a Varian MicroPak TSKgeI-G3000 PWXL
column
(7.8 mm ID x 30 cm L) connected in series with a TSK PWXL guard column (6.0 mm
ID x
4.0 cm L), the mobile phase was 0. l N NH4HCO3 at a flow rate of 0.80 mL/min,
the samples
were prepared in the mobile phase at 0.92 to 0.93 mg/mL, and the injection
volume was 100
L.
Figure 3A is the HPSEC UV profile at 214 nm and Figure 3B is the RI profile of
No.5(5)E-A-AP1X. The HPSEC fractions collected are shown as 6-18 and 7-12.
Figure 4A is the HPSEC UV profile at 214 nm and Figure 4B is the RI profile of
No.S(5)E-C-AP. The HPSEC fractions collected are shown as 6-18 and 7-12.
22
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WO 98/01144 PCT/US97/12293
The HPSEC conditions for Figures 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B were the same as those for
Figures 1 and 2 above, except the sample concentrations were 6.1 to 6.2 mg/mL.
Figure 5A is the HPSEC UV profile at 214 nm and Figure 5B is the RI profile of
the
chromatographically purified HPSEC Fraction 8 of No.5(5)E-C-AP. The HPSEC
conditions
s were the same as those for Figures 1 and 2 above, except the mobile phase
was 0.2 N
NH4HCO3 and the sample concentration was 0.55 mg/mL.
Figure 6A is the C 18-HPLC UV profile at 214 nm of the chromatographically
purified
No.5(5)E-C-AP HPSEC Fraction 8 and Figure 6B is that of No.5(5)E-C-AP HPSEC
Fraction
9. The column for the Cl8-IHPLC (octadecyl high performance liquid
chromatography)
io analysis was a Rainin Microsorb-MV C18 column (5 m particles, 100 A pore
size, 4.6 mm
ID x 25 cm L), the mobile phase was 0.1 N NH4HCO3 containing 30% ethanol at a
flow rate
of 0.80 mLJmin, the sample was prepared in the mobile phase at 1.0 mg/mL, and
the injection
volume was 5 uL.
Figure 7 is the HPSEC UV profile at 214 nm of No.5(5)E-A-AP I X-NH4, the one
time
i s purified acid precipitable active component of No.5(5)E-A in ammonium salt
form.
The HPSEC conditions for this Figure 7 and for Figures 13 and 17 below were
the
same as those for Figures 1 and 2 above, except the mobile phase was 0.3 N
NH4HCO3
containing 30% acetonitrile, the samples were prepared in 0.3 N NH4HCO3, and
sample
concentrations were 0.65 mg/mL for Figure 7 and 1.4 mg/mL for Figures 13 and
17.
20 Figure 8 is the HPSEC UV profile of No.5(5)E-APIX-NH4, the water
extractable and
acid precipitable active component of No.5(5) in ammonium salt form.
23
CA 02401295 2002-09-27
WU 98/01144 PCT/i7S97/12293
The HPSEC conditions for this Figure 8 and for Figures 14, 18, 21, 24 and 27
below
were the same as those for Figures 1 and 2, except the sample concentrations
were 1.0 mg/mL
and the injection volume was 50 L.
Figure 9 is the gradient RP-HPLC UV profile of No.5(5)E-AP I X-NH4, the water
s extractable and acid precipitable active component of No.5(5) in ammonium
salt form.
For this Figure 9 and for Figures 15, 19, 22, 25 and 28 below, the column used
for the
RP-HPLC (reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography) analysis was a
PerSeptive Biosystems' POROS R2/H column (4.6 mm Il) x 10 cm L), the mobile
phase was
0.1 N ammonium bicarbonate containing ethanol which varied from 2% to 60%
according to
the gradient in Table 17 at a flow rate of 2.0 mL/min, the samples were
prepared in 0.1 N
ammonium bicarbonate containing 2% ethanol at 1.0 mg/mL, and the injection
volume was
L.
Figure l0A is the UV spectrum of No.5(5)E-AP6X, Figure 10B is the UV spectrum
of
GE-AP6X, and Figure l OC is the UV spectrum of HE-AP6X. The UV spectra of the
samples
were measured in ammonium bicarbonate solution. No solvent blank correction
was made.
Figure 11 is the IR spectrum of No.5(5)E-AP6X, the water extractable and acid
recipitable active component of No.5(5) in acid form.
Figure 12 is the IR spectrum of No.5(5)E-APIX-NH4, the water extractable and
acid
precipitable active component of No.5(5) in ammonium salt fonn.
20 For Figures 11 and 12 and for Figures 16, 20, 23, 26 and 29 below, the IR
spectrum of
each sample was measured in KBr pellet.
Figure 13 is the HPSEC UV profile at 214 nm of GE-AP, the water extractable
and
acid precipitable active component of G in acid form. The HPSEC conditions for
this Figure
24
CA 02401295 2002-09-27
WO 98!'01144 PCT/US97/12293
and for Figure 17 below were the same as those for Figure 7 above, except the
sample
concentration was 1.4 mg/mL.
Figure 14 is the HPSEC UV profile of GE-AP2X-NH4, the water extractable and
acid
precipitable active component of G in ammonium salt form. The HPSEC conditions
for this
Figure were the same as those for Figure 8 above.
Figure 15 is the gradient RP-HPLC UV profile of GE-AP2X-NH4, the water
extractable and acid precipitable active component of G in ammonium salt form.
The
gradient RP-HPLC conditions for this Figure were the same as those for Figure
9 above.
Figure 16 is the IR spectrum of GE-AP2X-NH4, the water extractable and acid
20 precipitable active component of G in ammonium salt form.
Figure 17 is the HPSEC UV profile at 214 nm of HE-AP, the water extractable
and
acid precipitable active component of H in acid form. The HPSEC conditions for
this Figure
were the same as those for Figure 13 above.
Figure 18 is the HPSEC UV profile of HE-APIX-NH4, the water extractable and
acid
precipitable active component of H in ammonium salt form. The HPSEC conditions
for this
Figure were the same as those for Figure 8 above.
Figure 19 is the gradient RP-HPLC UV profile of HE-APIX-NH4, the water
extractable and acid precipitable active component of H in ammonium salt form.
The
gradient RP-HPLC conditions for this Figure were the same as those for Figure
9 above.
Figure 20 is the IR spectrum of HE-APIX-NH4, the water extractable and acid
precipitable active component of H in ammonium salt form.
CA 02401295 2002-09-27
WO 98/01144 PCT/US97/12293
Figure 21 is the HPSEC UV profile of No.5(8)E-APIX-NH4, the water extractable
and acid precipitable active component of No.5(8) in ammonium salt fornl. The
HPSEC
conditions for this Figure were the same as those for Figure 8 above.
Figure 22 is the gradient RP-HPLC UV profile of No.5(8)E-AP 1 X-NH,,, the
water
extractable and acid precipitable active component of No.5(8) in ammonium salt
form. The
gradient RP-HPLC conditions for this Figure were the same as those for Figure
9 above.
Figure 23 is the IR spectrum of No. 5 (8)E-AP I X-NH4, the water extractable
and acid
precipitable active component of No.5(8) in ammonium salt form.
Figure 24 is the HPSEC UV profile of No.5(l 1)E-AP 1 X-NH4, the water
extractable
and acid precipitable active component of No.5(11) in ammonium salt form. The
HPSEC
conditions for this Figure were the sarne as those for Figure 8 above.
Figure 25 is the gradient RP-HPLC UV profile of No.5(11)E-APIX-NH4, the water
extractable and acid precipitable active component of No.5(11) in ammonium
salt form. The
gradient RP-HPLC conditions for this Figure were the same as those for Figure
9 above.
ls Figure 26 is the IR spectrum of No.5(1 l)E-APIX-NH4, the water extractable
and acid
precipitable active component of No.5(11) in ammonium salt form.
Figure 27 is the HPSEC UV profile ofNo.4(2)E-APIX-NH4, the water extractable
and acid precipitable active component of No.4(2) in ammonium salt form. The
HPSEC
conditions for this Figure were the same as those for Figure 8 above.
Figure 28 is the gradient RP-HPLC UV profile of No.4(2)E-APIX-NH4, the water
extractable and acid precipitable active component of No.4(2) in ammonium salt
form. The
gradient RP-HPLC conditions for this Figure were the same as those for Figure
9 above.
26
CA 02401295 2002-09-27
Figure 29 is the IR spectrum of No.4(2)E-APIX-NH4, the water extractable and
acid
precipitable active component of No.4(2) in ammonium salt form.
One aspect of the present invention is directed to the compositions of matter
which
comprise the water extractable and acid precipitable anti-HIV active
components from
various Chinese herbal medicines or medicinal plants as characterized by the
HPSEC profiles
of Figures 1, 2, 5A, SB, 7, 8, 13, 14, 17, 18, 21, 24 and 27; the Cl 8-HPLC
profiles of Figures
6A and 6B; the gradient RP-HPLC profiles of Figures 9, 15, 19, 22, 25 and 28;
the UV
spectra of Figures 1 OA, I OB and l OC; and the IR spectra of Figures 11, 12,
16, 20, 23, 26 and
29.
15
25
27
CA 02401295 2002-09-27
Summary of invention
This invention provides an anti-viral medicinal product produced by a process
comprising the steps of:
a) contacting the comminuted fiuit of Ligustrum lucidum and/or Ligustrum
japonicum and mixtures thereof, with water to form an aqueous dispersion;
b) separating insoluble material from the aqueous solution;
c) acidifying the aqueous solution to a pH of about 4 or less to form an acid
precipitate;
d) separating said acid precipitate from the supemate; and
e) purifying said acid precipitate to obtain said medicinal product.
This invention further provides an anti-viral medicinal product produced by a
process comprising
the steps of :
a) contacting:
(i) the comminuted fruit of Ligustrum lucidum and/or Ligustrum japonicum
and mixtures thereof, and
(ii) a plant material comprising at least one member selected from the group
consisting of:
(1) SOLANI HERBA, prepared from the whole plant of Solanum
nigrum;
(2) HEDYOTIS, prepared from the whole plant of Hedyotis diffusa;
(3) SCUTELLARIAE BARBATAE HERBA, prepared from the
whole plant of at least one plant selected from the group consisting
of Scutellaria barbata, Scutellaria rivularis and Scutellaria
dependens;
(4) PRUNELLAE SPICA, prepared from the spica or whole plant of at
least one plant selected from the group consisting of Prunella
vulgaris and Prunella vulgaris subsp. asiatica;
(5) AEGINETIAE HERBA, prepared from the whole plant of at least
one plant selected from the group consisting of Aeginetia indica,
Dichondra micrantha, Striga lutea and Dichondra repens;
27a
CA 02401295 2002-09-27
(6) FORSYTHIAE FRUCTUS, prepared from the fruit of at least one
plant selected from the group consisting of Forsythia suspensa,
Forsythia viridissima and Forsythia koreana; and
(7) DICHONDRAE HERBA, prepared from the whole plant of
Dichondra repens and Dichondra micrantha,
and mixtures thereof, with water to form an aqueous dispersion;
b) separating insoluble material from the aqueous solution;
c) acidifying the aqueous solution to a pH of about 4 or less to form an acid
precipitate;
d) separating said acid precipitate from the supemate; and
e) purifying said acid precipitate to obtain said medicinal product.
As used herein and in the claims, the following nomenclatures will be used to
identify
the four (4) herb mixtures known as HHT888-4, HHT888-5, HHT888-45 and HHT888-
54.
HHT888-4 is a mixture of five (5) single-herb Chinese herbal medicines at a
preferred
ratio ofNo.4(1):No.4(2):No.4(3):No.4(4):No.4(5) of about 3:3:3:3:4 (w/w). The
weight ratio
may vary up to 50% per component. By "variance of the weight ratio by 50%"
means that
each value of each component of the ratio may be increased or decreased by
50%. Thus, as
an example, 1:1 can range from 1.5:0.5 to 0.5:1.5 (or 3:1 to 1:3).
HHT888-5 is a mixture of eleven (11) single-herb Chinese herbal medicines,
No.5(l)
to No.5(11), preferably at about equal proportions by weight. The weight ratio
may vary up
to 50% per component.
HHT888-45 is a mixture of four (4) to six (6) single-herb Chinese herbal
medicines at
a preferred ratio of No.4(3) : No.4(4) : No.5(4) : No.5(5) : No.5(8) : No.4(2)
of about
1:1:1:3:0-1:0-1 (w/w). The weight ratio may vary up to 50% for each component.
27b
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HHT888-54 is a mixture of No.5(5) or H and at least one single-herb medicine
selected from No.4(2), No.4(3), No.4(4), No.4(5), No.5(1), No.5(2), No.5(4),
No.5(7),
No.5(8) and No.5(I 1), wherein the preferred weight ratio of No.5(5) or H to
each of the other
single-herb medicines is 1:1. Thus, HHT888-54, in a preferred embodiment,
consists of
No.5(5) or H plus No.4(3), No.4(4), No.5(8) and No.5(l 1); the preferred
weight ratio is
1:1:1:1:1. More generally, the weight ratio of No.5(5) or H to the sum of the
other
single-herb medicines is from 1:10 to 10:I.
The single-herb components of HHT888-4 are:
No.4( l)= HEDYOTIS (also known as OLDENLANDIAE HERBA)
source: Hedyotis diffusa (also known as Oldenlandia d:ffusa)
No.4(2) = SCUTELLARIAE BARBATAE HERBA
source: Scutellaria barbata, Scutellaria rivularis, Scutellaria dependens
No.4(3) = LONICERAE FLOS
source: Lonicerajaponica, Lonicera confusa
No.4(4) = PRUNELLAE SPICA
source: Prunella vulgaris, Prunella vulgaris subsp. asiatica (also known as
Prunella vulgaris var. lilachina)
No.4(5) = SOLANI HERBA
source: Solanum nigrum
The single-herb components of HHT888-5 are:
No.5(1) = HEDYOTIS (also known as OLDENLANDIAE HERBA)
source: Hedyotis diffusa (also known as Oldenlandia diffusa)
No.5(2) = BLECHNI RHIZOMA or DRYOPTERIS CRASSIRHIZOMAE RHIZOMA
source: Blechnum orientale, Dryopleris crassirhi2oma, Osmundajaponica,
Woodwardia orientalis, Woodwardia unigemmata, Athyrium
acrostichoides, Sphaeropteris lepifera, Cyrtomium falcatum,
Cyrlorilium fortunei
No.5(3) = CIRSII RHIZOMA ET RADIX and BREEAE RADIX
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source: Cirsium japonicum, Cirsium albescens, Cirstum japonicum var.
australe, Breea segetum (also known as Cephalanoplos segetum),
Breea setosum
No.5(4) = LESPEDEZAE HERBA or SENECINIS HERBA
source: Lespedeza cuneata, Senecio scandens
No.5(5) = AEGINETIAE HERBA
source: Aeginetia indica
No.5(6) = BAPHICACANTHIS RHIZOMA ET RADIX
source: Baphicacanthes cusia, Strobilanthes cusia, Isatis tincloria,
Isatis indigotica, Polygonum linctorium
i.s No.5(7) = POLYGONI CUSPIDATI RHIZOMA
source: Polygonum cuspidaturn, Polygonum runcinatum, Polygonum
reynoutria (also known as Reynoutriajaponica)
No.5(8) = FORSYTHIAE FRUCTUS
source: Forsythia suspensa, Forsythia viridissima, Forsythia koreana
No.5(9) = PHELLODENDRI CORTEX
source: Phellodendron amurense, Phellodendron chinense, Phellodendron
amurense var. sachalinense, Phellodendron wilsonii
No.5(10) = BLETILLAE TUBER
source: Bletilla striaia
No.5(11) = LIGUSTRI FRUCTUS
source: Ligustrum lucidum, Ligustrumjaponicum
The single-herb components of HHT888-45 are:
No.4(3) = LONICERAE FLOS
source: Lonicerajaponica, Lonicera confusa
No.4(4) = PRUNELLAE SPICA
source: Prunella vulgaris, Prunella vulgaris subsp. asiatica
(also known as Prunella vulgaris var. lilachina)
No.5(4) = LESPEDEZAE HERBA or SENECINIS HERBA
source: Lespedeza cuneata, Senecio scandens
No.5(5) = AEGINETIAE HERBA
source: Aeginetfa indica
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No.4(2) = SCUTELLARIAE BARBATAE HERBA (optional)
source: Scutellaria barbata, Scutellaria rivularis, Scutellaria dependens
No.5(8) = FORSYTHIAE FRUCTUS (optional)
source: Forsythia suspensa, Forsythia viridissima, Forsythia koreana
The single-herb components of HHT888-54 are:
No.5(5) = AEGINETIAE HERBA
source: Aeginetia indica; or
H = DICHONDRAE HERBA
source: Dichondra repens or Dichondra micrantha; and at least one selected
from:
No.4(2) = SCUTELLARIAE BARBATAE HERBA
source: Scutellaria barbata, Scutellaria rivularis, Scutellaria dependens
No.4(3) = LONICERAE FLOS
source: Lonicerajaponica, Lonicera confusa
No.4(4) = PRUNELLAE SPICA
source: Prunella vulgaris, Prunella vulgaris subsp. asiatica (also known as
Prunella vulgaris var. lilachina)
No.4(5) = SOLANI HERBA
source: Solanum nigrum
No.5(1) = HEDYOTIS (also known as OLDENLANDIAE HERBA)
source: Hedyotis d~;~"usa (also known as Oldenlandia diffusa)
No.5(2) = BLECHNI RHIZOMA or DRYOPTERIS CRASSIRHIZOMAE RHIZOMA
source: Blechnum orientale, Dryopteris crassirhizoma, Osmundajaponica,
Woodwardia orientalis, Woodwardia unigemmata, Athyrium
acrostichoides, Sphaeropteris lepifera, Cyrtomium falcatum,
Cyrtomiumfortunei
No.5(4) = LESPEDEZAE HERBA or SENECINIS HERBA
source: Lespedeza cuneata, Senecio scandens
No.5(7) = POLYGONI CUSPIDATI RHIZOMA
source: Polygonum cuspidatum, Polygonum runcinatum, Polygonum
reynoutria (also known as Reynoutria japonica)
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No.5(8) = FORSYTHIAE FRUCTUS
source: Forsythia suspensa, Forsythia virtdissima, Forsythia koreana
No.5(11) = LIGUSTRI FRUCTUS
source: Ligustrum lucidum, Ligustrum japonicum
It should be noted that No.4(1) is the same as No. 5(I) (HEDYOTIS). The names
of
the Chinese herbal medicines for the single-herb components are shown in
capital letters,
followed by their plant sources listed in italics.
As used herein and in the claims, the term HHT888-4, HHT888-5, HHT888-45 and
HHT888-54 include the actual herbal blends, aqueous extracts thereof and the
active
components or principles of the extract. In similar fashion, the use of the
terms No.5(5),
No.5(8) and the like include the actual herb, extracts thereof and the
isolated active molecular
agents.
As also used in the specification and in the claims, G is the herb Aeginetia
indica or
the source plant of No.5(5). No.4(2), No.4(3), No.4(4), No.4(5), No.5(l),
No.5(2), No.5(3),
No.5(4), No.5(5), No.5(6), No.5(7), No.5(8), No.5(9), No.5(10), No.5(11) and H
are the
single-herb components described above, including their respective source
plants.
Specific descriptions of the above recited Chinese herbal medicines and
medicinal
herbs can be found in the following references: (1) H. C. Chang, Medicinal
Herbs 1, Holiday
Publishing Co., Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., 15, 36, 100, 113, 127, 147 (1990); (2)
H. C. Chang,
Medicinal Herbs 11, Holiday Publishing Co., Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., 15, 27,
131, 135, 155
(1991); (3) W. S. Kan, Pharmaceutical Botany, National Research Institute Of
Chinese
Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., 113, 124-130, 200-201, 206-207, 289-290, 353-
354,
442-444, 460-461, 485, 487-488, 497, 505, 513-514, 522, 527-529, 558, 562-563,
648-649
(1971); (4) M. S. Lee, Frequently Used Chinese Crude Drugs And Folk Medicines
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Handbook, 12th Ed., Sheng-Chang Medicinal Record Magazine Publishing Co.,
Taipei,
Taiwan, R.O.C., 4-6, 17, 21, 29, 36, 38, 40, 48, 58, 64, 71, 79, 85 (1992);
and (5) H. Y. Hsu,
Y. P. Chen, S. G. Hsu, J. S. Hsu, C. J. Chen, & H. C. Chang, Concise
Pharmacognosy, New
Medicine Publishing Co., Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., 90, 97, 105-106, 117-118, 126-
127,
s 130-131, 133, 138, 144-145, 152-153, 156-157,161-162,174, 176-177, 357-358,
381-382,
384-385, 456-457, 577-578 (1985).
The present invention in its broadest aspect relates to the use described
herbal
medicine mixtures and their use to prevent and treat viral infections. The
invention also
relates to novel combinations of medicinal herbs and the herbal medicines
derived therefrom.
For example, the herbal mixtures designated HHT888-4, HHT888-5, HHT888-45,
HHT888-
54, No. 5(5)-H, No.5(5)-No.4(3), No.5(5)-No.4(4), No.4(3)-No.4(4), No.5(5)-
No.5(11), H-
No.4(4), H-No.4(3), H-No.4(5), H-No.5(8), H-No.5(11), mixtures thereof and
their
pharmaceutically acceptable salts and the like. More specifically, the viral
infections are
those caused by HBV, HCV and HIV. The antiviral mixtures according to the
invention have
been described above as HHT888-4, HHT888-5, HHT888-45 and HHT888-54. In
addition,
the single herb agents designated No.4(2), No.4(5), No.5(5), No.5(7), No.5(8),
No.5(11) and
H have been shown to have antiviral activity. These single herb agents have
not been shown
by the prior art to have antiviral activity.
Also disclosed are the compositions of matter characterized by the HPSEC
analysis
set forth in Figs. I through 5, 7 and 8 for the active components of No.5(5).
Figures 13 and
14 characterize the active components of G by HPSEC, while Figs. 17 and 18
characterize H.
Fig. 21, characterizes No.5(8) by HPSEC analysis. Fig. 24 characterizes
No.5(21), while Fig.
27 characterizes No.4(2).
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The gradient C18-HPLC analysis set forth in Figs. 6A and 6B characterize the
active
components of No.5(5). The RP-HPLC analysis set forth in Fig. 9 characterizes
the active
components of No.5(5), while Fig. 15 characterizes the actives of G, Fig. 19
the actives for H,
Fig. 22 the actives for No.5(8), Fig. 25 the actives for No. 5(11) and gif. 28
for the actives of
No.4(2). The IR spectra set forth in Figs 11 and 12 characterize the actives
for No.5(5), Fig.
16 characterizes the actives for G, Fig. 20 characterizes the actives of H,
Fig. 23 characterizes
the actives for No.5(8), Fig. 26 characterizes the actives for No.5(11), while
Fig. 29
characterizes the actives for No.4(2).
A more specific aspect of the present invention resides in the discovery that
io HHT888-5 is efficacious in reducing hepatitis B viruses in HBV carriers. An
additional
aspect of the invention resides in the discovery that HHT888-45 is efficacious
in treating
hepatitis C patients and returning their liver function to normal.
The herb mixtures HHT888-4 and HHT888-5 and their aqueous extracts have both
been shown by the inventors herein to also have antiretroviral activities
against MuLV and
HIV in vitro. This evidence strongly supports the conclusion that they have in
vivo efficacy.
In addition, eleven (11) of the fifteen (15) single-herb components of HHT888-
4 and
HHT888-5, i.e., No.4(2), No.4(3), No.4(4), No.4(5), No.5(l), No.5(2), No.5(4),
No.5(5),
No.5(7), No.5(8), No.5(11), and the medicinal herb H have shown anti-HIV
activities by
effectively suppressing viral proliferation in HIV infected human peripheral
blood
lymphocytes (PBLs). This model is highly predictive of anti-HIB activity in
vivo.
The water extract of the single-herb component No.5(5) prepared directly from
its
source plant, Aeginetia indica, has shown good anti-HIV activity. Further, the
water extracts
of the single-herb components No.4(3), No.4(4), and No.5(11) have shown
moderate to
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strong anti-HIV activities. Water extracts of the single-herb components
No.4(2), No.4(5),
No.5(1), No.5(4) and No.5(8) have shown only weak anti-HIV activities.
The water extractable and acid precipitable components of No.4(2), No.4(5),
No.5(1), ,
No.5(5), No.5(8) and H are shown herein to be active anti-HIV agents. Similar
water
s extractable and acid precipitable components have also been isolated from
No.4(4) and
No.5(11) and are shown herein to be anti-HIV. These water extractable and acid
precipitable
anti-HIV active components are similar, have not been described before, and
are novel and
unobvious.
Water extractable and acid soluble anti-HIV active components have also been
isolated from No.4(4) and No.5(11). The water extractable and acid soluble
active
component of No.5(l 1) has not been described before and is novel. The water
extractable
and acid soluble active component of No.4(4) may be the same as the partially
sulfated
polysaccharide or prunellin described before. Only one active component has
been isolated
from the water extract of No.4(3) which is soluble in acid.
is There is further disclosed as compositions of matter, the herb mixtures
HHT888-4,
HHT888-5, HHT888-45 and HHT888-54. These compositions of matter have not been
described before and are unobvious.
Further disclosed is a composition of matter comprising at least one of the
individual
water extractable and acid precipitable anti-HIV active components isolated
separately or in
combination from the single-herb herbal medicines or their source plants
selected from the
group consisting of: No.4(2), No.4(4), No.4(5), No.5(1), No.5(5), No.5(8),
No.5(11) and H.
These compositions of matter have not been described before and are unobvious
and novel.
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The utility of the present compositions of matter resides in their use in
treating viral
infections. Thus, there is further disclosed a method of treating viral
infections in a mammal,
said method comprising administering to said mammal a therapeutically
effective amount
(such as from 0.4 to 120 g per day) of at least one composition selected from
the group
s consisting of HHT888-4, HHT888-5, HHT888-45, HHT888-54, No.4(2), No.4(5),
No.5(1),
No.5(2), No.5(4), No.5(5), No.5(7), No.5(8), No.5(11) and H and their
respective extracts or
active principles.
More specifically, there is disclosed a method for reducing the viral load of
humans
infected with HBV, said method comprising administering to said human a
therapeutically
io effective amount (such as from 0.4 to 120 g per day) of a composition
comprising HHT888-5
or an extract obtained from HHT888-5.
There is also disclosed a method for treating humans infected with HCV, said
method
.comprising administering to said human a therapeutically effective amount
(such as from 0.4
to 120 g per day) of a composition comprising HHT888-05 or an extract obtained
from
is HHT888-45.
There is also disclosed a method of reducing the viral load of a human carrier
of the
HBV and a method of treating or preventing hepatitis B in a human, said method
comprising
administering to said human a therapeutically effective amount (such as from
0.4 to 120 g per
day) of at least one composition selected from No.5(5) and at least one agent
selected from
20 the group consisting of No.5(1), No.5(2), No.5(3), No.5(4), No.5(6),
No.5(7), No.5(8),
No.5(9), No.5(10), and No.5(11).
There is further disclosed a method of treating a HCV carrier and a method of
treating
or preventing hepatitis C in a human, said method comprising administering to
said human a
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therapeutically effective amount (such as from 0.4 to 120 g per day) of a
composition
comprising the mixture of the single-herb herbal medicine No.5(5), its extract
or active
principle and at least one single-herb herbal medicine, its extract or active
principle selected
from the group consisting of No.4(2), No.4(3), No.4(4), No.5(4), No.5(8), and
No.5(11).
Also disclosed is a method of treating hepatitis B in a human, said method
comprising
administering to said human a therapeutically effective amount (such as 0.4 to
120 g per day)
of at least one composition selected from HHT888-45 and HHT888-5.
There is further disclosed a method of treating hepatitis B in a human, said
method
comprising administering to said human a therapeutically effective amount
(such as from 0.4
20 to 120 g per day) of at least one composition selected from: (1) a mixture
of the single-herb
herbal medicine No.5(5), its extract or active principle and at least one
single-herb herbal
medicine, its extract or active principle selected from the group consisting
of No.4(2),
No.4(3), No.4(4), No.5(4), No.5(8), and No.5(1 1); and (2) a mixture of the
single-herb herbal
medicine No.5(5), its extract or active principle and at least one single-herb
herbal medicine,
i 5 its extract or active principle selected from the group consisting of
No.5(1), No.5(2), No.5(3),
No.5(4), No.5(6), No.5(7), No.5(8), No.5(9), No.S(10), and No.5(11).
There is further disclosed a method for treating humans infected with HIV,
said
method comprising administering to said human a therapeutically effective
amount (such as
0.4 to 120 g per day) of a composition comprising HHT888-4.
20 There is disclosed a method for treating humans infected with HIV, said
method
comprising administering to said human a therapeutically effective amount
(such as 0.4 to
120 g per day) of a composition comprising HHT888-5.
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There is disclosed a method for treating humans infected with HIV, said method
comprising administering to said human a therapeutically effective amount
(such as 0.4 to
120 g per day) of a composition comprising HHT888-45.
There is disclosed a method for treating humans infected with HIV, HBV and
HCV,
s said method comprising administering to said human a therapeutically
effective amount (such
as 0.4 to 120 g per day) of a composition comprising HHT888-54.
There is also disclosed a method for treating humans infected with HIV, said
method
comprising administering to said human a therapeutically effective amount of a
composition
comprising at least one single-herb herbal medicine, its extract or active
principle selected
from the group consisting of No.4(2), No.4(5), No.5(1), No.5(2), No.5(4),
No.5(5), No.5(7);
No.5(8), No.5(11) and H.
There is also disclosed novel herbal blends and a method of treating humans
infected
with HIV, said method comprising administering to said human a therapeutically
effective
amount of an herbal blend comprising at least one herbal medicine selected
from No.5(5) and
is mixtures thereof, and at least one herbal medicine selected from the group
consisting of
No.4(2), No.4(3), No.4(4), No.4(5), No.5(l), No.5(2), No.5(4), No.5(7),
No.5(8) and
No.5(11).
Also disclosed is a method for treating humans infected with HIV, said method
comprising administering to said human a therapeutically effective amount of a
mixture
comprising at least two antiviral components isolated from the single-herb
herbal medicines
or their source plants selected from the group consisting of No.4(2), No.4(3),
No.4(4),
No.4(5), No.5(1), No.5(2), No.5(4), No.5(5), No.5(7), No.5(8), No.5(11) and H.
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Also disclosed is a method for treating humans infected with HIV, said method
comprising administering to said human a therapeutically effective amount of a
composition
comprising at least one of the water extractable and acid precipitable
antiviral components or
compounds isolated from the single-herb herbal medicines or their source
plants selected
from the group consisting of No.4(2), No.4(4), No.4(5), No.5(1), No.5(5),
No.5(8), No.5(11)
and H.
Thus, the present invention is directed to: 1) compositions of matter (i.e.,
herbal
blends and isolated chemical entities); 2) methods for the treatment of HBV
and HCV
carriers; 3) prevention and treatment of hepatitis B and hepatitis C; 4)
treatment of HIV
io carriers; and 5) prevention and treatment of AIDS through the
administration of the
compositions according to the present invention.
The dosage of the compositions of the invention can range from 0.4 to 120 g
per day
for the mammal in need of therapy. One skilled in the art will appreciate that
depending upon
the weight of the individual and the progression of the viral infection, that
higher doses of the
is compositions may be required. As the compositions according to the
invention have
demonstrated virtually no side effects, high doses may be initiated with
reduction of dosage
upon manifestation (i.e., reduction of viral load) of therapeutic effect. One
skilled in the art
can tailor each dosage rate for a given individual without undue
experimentation. More
specifically, the dosages for a given composition can range from 0.4 to 100 g
per day, more
20 preferably 1.0 to 25 g per day. Preferably, the compositions are
administered at least three (3)
times per day, however, bolus administration will be effective. More
specifically, an oral
dosage of 5.5 g three (3) times a day (total 16.5 g per day) of HHT888-5 has
been found to be
effective to reduce HBV load in carriers. Oral dosage of 2.7-5.7 g three (3)
times a day (total
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8-17 g per day) of the herb mixture HHT888-45 has been found to be effective
to return
normal liver function to hepatitis C patients. Dosages as high as 121 g per
day for HHT888-5
and 63 g per day for HHT888-45 have not evidenced serious side effects. It
should be
appreciated that the dosages recited herein are for the herbal medicine
(extract deposited on
ground plant or adsorbent) in dry form. Further, extracts of the inventive
compositions will
increase the concentration of the actives and therefore reductions in the
dosage levels will be
realized. Dosages as low as 10 % of those recited herein for the inventive
compositions are
contemplated. The preferred dosage for No.5(5) to treat HCV infection is from
0.4 to 17 g
per day.
The compositions of the invention are preferably administered orally or
enterally,
however, intravenous (i.v.) and/or intramuscular (i.m.) administration is also
contemplated
herein. Those skilled in the art will understand how i.v. and i.m.
formulations can be
prepared and how the effective dosages can be obtained.
In the method according to this invention a mammal may be a human or animal.
The
25 human may be an adult, child or infant. Thus, for infants, an infant
formula containing the
hereinafter described plant extracts or active principles will be effective in
treating the infants
infected with HBV, HCV, or HIV. For children and adults, a medical food or
nutritional
product, such as milks and yogurts, containing the plant extracts or active
principles
described herein will also be effective in treating humans infected with HBV,
HCV, or HIV.
The present invention also relates to a process to isolate the efficacious
compounds
from the recited herbal medicines or medicinal plants and to the isolated
compounds
themselves.
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The herbs used as starting materials for this invention may be obtained from
commercial sources as single-herb herbal medicines which may be mixed, or
extracted and
concentrated, and placed in compositions for the administration to a human.
The plant
extracts, once isolated from the plant material, may be concentrated and then
placed in form
suitable for the administration to a human (i.e., pills, capsules and
tablets). The active
principles, once isolated from the plant or synthesized, may then be placed in
compositions
for the administration to a human and may take a variety of forms such as
capsules, tablets,
powder, candies, gels, beverages, teas, nutritional products, and the like.
Also disclosed is a medicinal product produced by the process comprising the
steps
of: (a) contacting comminuted plant material such as No.5(1) to No.S(11),
No.4(2) to
No.4(5), H, and mixtures thereof, with water to form an aqueous dispersion;
(b) heating the
aqueous dispersion to about 100 C and holding at that temperature for about
0.5 to about 3
hours; (c) separating the insoluble plant material from the aqueous phase; and
(d)
concentrating the solute contained in the aqueous phase. The concentrated
solute may be
is obtained through freeze drying, spray drying, evaporation or
ultrafiltration.
Also disclosed is a medicinal product produced by the process comprising the
steps
of: (a) contacting comminuted plant material selected from the group
consisting of No.4(2),
No.4(4), No.4(5), No.5(l), No.5(5), No.5(8), No.5(11), H, and mixtures
thereof, with water to
form an aqueous dispersion; (b) heating the aqueous dispersion to about 100 C
and holding at
that temperature for about 0.5 to about 3 hours; (c) separating the insoluble
plant material
from the aqueous phase; (d) acidifying the aqueous solution with acid (such as
hydrochloric
acid) to a pH of less than about 2.0; (e) separating the acid precipitate from
the supemate; and
(f) purifying the acid precipitate by dissolving in basic solution (such as
0.1 N ammonium
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bicarbonate) and precipitating again with acid. Optionally, the acid
precipitate may be
dissolved in 0.1 N ammonium bicarbonate solution and concentrated. The
concentrated
solute may be obtained through freeze drying, spray drying, evaporation or
ultrafiltration.
Representative of the acids that are useful in acidifying the aqueous extracts
include
s hydrochloric acid, phosphoric, glacial acetic acid, sulfuric acid and the
like. What is
important is that the acid have a pKa sufficient to convert the active
components to the acid
form. The pH of the extract should be less than 3.0 and most preferably less
than 2.0 for
precipitation to occur.
Also disclosed is a medicinal product produced by a process comprising the
steps of:
io (a) contacting at least one herbal medicine selected from: No.4(2),
No.4(4), No.4(5), No.5(1),
No.5(5), No.5(8), No.5(11), H, and mixtures thereof, with water to form an
aqueous
dispersion; (b) stirring the aqueous dispersion at ambient temperature for
about 0.5 to about 3
hours; (c) separating the insoluble plant material from the aqueous phase; (d)
acidifying the
aqueous solution with acid to approximately a pH of less than 2.0 to form a
precipitate; (e)
15 separating the acid precipitate from the acid supernate; and (f) purifying
the acid precipitate.
The precipitate may be purified by repetitively dissolving it in 0.1 N
ammonium bicarbonate
solution and precipitating it again with acid.
This application sets forth the data available on the present discoveries and
fully
describes the compositions of matter, their preparations, clinical
applications, and analytical
20 tools used to characterize the various active components. These and other
aspects of the
invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a result of the
following
examples which are intended as illustrative of the invention and not
limitative.
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Best Mode for CarrvingQut the Invention
To acquaint persons skilled in the art with the principles of the invention,
the
following Examples are submitted which are intended to be illustrative and not
limitative.
All percentages are percentages by weight unless otherwise specified.
EXAMPLE 1
Prenaration of Herb Mixtures
In the preparation of the herbal compositions according to the invention,
Chinese
herbal medicines in single herb format were obtained from commercial sources
in powder
form. The individual single-herb herbal medicines were mixed in the
appropriate proportions
to prepare each herb mixture.
The herb mixture for HHT888-4 was prepared by mixing No.4(1), No.4(2),
No.4(3),
No.4(4), and No.4(5) at a ratio of 3:3:3:3:4 by weight. The herb mixture
HHT888-5 was
prepared by mixing equal weights of No.5(1), No.5(2), No.5(3), No.5(4),
No.5(5), No.5(6),
No.5(7), No.5(8), No.5(9), No.5(10), and No.5(11).
The herb mixture HHT888-45 was prepared by mixing four (4) to six (6) single-
herb
herbal medicines No.4(3), No.4(4), No.5(4), No.5(5), No.5(8), and No.4(2) at a
ratio of
1:1:1:1:0-1:0-1 by weight. The single-herb herbal medicine No.5(8) or No.4(2),
or both, were
not used in some cases in HHT888-45 for initial administrations. One of the
two single-herb
herbal medicines or both were added later when needed to enhance the therapy.
The weight
ratio of =the single-herb herbal medicine No.4(2) in the herb mixture HHT888-
45 also varied
case-by-case between 0.5 and 1 when used.
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It is noted that a mixture of decoctions prepared individually from the source
plants of
the single-herb herbal medicines or a decoction prepared from the pre-mixed
source plants of
the single-herb components of each herb mixture is within the scope of this
invention.
EXAMPLE 2
Preparation of Sinele-herb Herbal Medicines
The plant source from which each single-herb herbal medicine was obtained is
listed
lo in the Prior Art and Summary sections of this application. It should be
understood that more
than one species or genus of inedicinal plant may be used to prepare the same
herbal
medicine. For example, the herbal medicine No.5(8) or FORSYTHIAE FRUCTUS may
be
prepared from three (3) species of Forsythia genus plants, i.e., Forsythia
suspensa, Forsythia
viridissima, Forsythia koreana or mixtures thereof. The herbal medicine
No.5(6)
(BAPHICACANTHIS RHIZOMA ET RADIX) may be prepared from one of the five (5)
plants Baphicacanthes cusia, Strobilanthes cusia, Isatis tinctoria, Isatis
indigotica,
Polygonum tinclorium or mixtures thereof. The herbal medicines were prepared
from their
respective plant sources as follows.
A suitable part or parts or the whole plant was obtained, washed with cold
water,
2o dried and comminuted. The plant materials were then extracted with boiling
water on a basis
of 1 part by weight of plant material to approximately 5 to 10 parts by weight
of water. The
amount of water used should at least cover the plant material in the
extraction vessel.
Samples were boiled for 0.5 to one hour, but not in excess of 3 hours, in
order to allow
effective extraction of the desired components. Shorter or longer heating
would not
z s substantially affect the extraction, except the yield and cost. The
aqueous solution was
separated from the plant material by filtration.
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The aqueous solution may be freeze dried or spray dried, or reduced in volume
by
heating with or without an applied vacuum. The concentrate may then be spray
dried or
freeze dried or absorbed onto a powdered fonn of the same plant material,
starch or other
absorbent. Thus the single-herb herbal medicine is prepared.
s A decoction is the aqueous solution of the plant material prepared by
boiling the plant
material in water as described above for about 0.5 to one hour. The decoction
may be directly
consumed after it is prepared and cooled to warm or ambient temperature or
preserved with
proper sterilization for later consumption. Sterilization may be accomplished
by
microfiltration or heat.
EXAMPLE 3
Treatment of Hepatitis B Virus Carriers
Twenty-nine (29) HBV carriers with normal levels of serum glutamine
oxalacetate
transferase (SGOT) and glutamine pyruvate transferase (SGPT) (liver enzymes),
were treated
with HHT888-5. Several HBV carriers who had elevated SGOT and SGPT levels were
first
treated with other remedies which retumed their serum liver enzymes to normal
levels (8-40
unit/mL for SGOT and 5-35 unit/mL for SGPT) but failed to reduce the HBV load.
Treatment with HHT888-5 then began. HHT888-5 was prepared as described in
Example 1
by mixing eleven (11) single-herb herbal medicines which were obtained from a
commercial
source and were manufactured following good manufacture practice (GMP)
guidelines.
Consent of each patient was obtained before their treatment began.
Patients were instructed to take the HHT888-5 three (3) times a day. Each dose
was
5.5 g. Each 5.5 g packet of the herb mixture was mixed with warm water and
consumed
orally. Serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) titers of each patient were
determined at
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intervals as shown in Table 1 to monitor the progress of the treatment. Serum
HBsAg titer
was determined using a reverse-passive hemagglutination test as described in:
(1) Instruction
of "Taifu" Serodia-HBs Test Reagent for HBsAg Detection, Taifu Pharmaceutical
Co., Ltd.,
Taoyuan, Taiwan, R.O.C.; (2) D. S. Chen & J. L. Sung, J. Formosan Med. Assoc.,
72,
s 263-270 (1978); and (3) T. Juji & T. Yokochi, Japan, J. Exp. Med, 3s, 615-
620 (1969).
Table I shows the treatment results of the twenty-nine (29) HBV carriers.
Patients
showed improvement in their disease state over the course of treatment, as
indicated by their
HBsAg titer reductions and well being. Fourteen (14) carriers (48%) whose
HBsAg titers
ranged from 20 to 81,920 were significantly lowered (four to 256-fold
reductions, or from
io positive to negative) after 35 to 964 days of treatment. Four (4) carriers
(14%) reduced their
HBsAg titers from 20, 40, and 2,560 to negative (i.e., below 20 ng/mL
detection level) after
56-153 days of treatment. Fourteen (14) can-iers (48%) had no significant
change (two-fold
titer decrease or increase or no change) in HBsAg titers during the course of
the treatment
(63-284 days). One carrier (3%) had a slightly four-fold titer increase.
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TABLE 1
Clinical Effects of HHT888-5 on Hepatitis B Virus Carriers
HBsAG Titer
PATIENT BEFORE AFTER DURATION (Days)
1 40 negative 56
2 2560 negative 72
3 20 negative 153
4 20 negative 88
2560 80 53
6 1280 320 101
7 2560 1280 32
1280 399
320 964
8 2560 1280 79
640 412
9 20480 5120 53
20480 5120 60
11 40960 10240 35
12 81920 40960 74
10240 461
13 81920 20480 63
14 5120 2560 170
2560 245
1280 556
1280 832
160 80 284
16 320 160 198
17 640 320 276
18 1280 640 120
19 2560 1280 69
5120 2560 263
21 20480 10240 77
22 40960 40960 120
20480 210
23 160 160 227
24 320 320 79
640 640 157
26 1280 1280 69
27 40960 40960 137
28 5120 10240 63
29 160 640 121
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The HHT888-5 treatment set forth in this Example compares very favorably with
the
currently accepted interferon therapy. The response rates for interferon
therapy and
HHT888-5 treatment to lower the HBsAg titers in patients infected with HBV are
comparable, approximately 40% vs. 48%, respectively. The serum HBsAg clearance
rates
s were also comparable for both,10-15% for interferon therapy and
approximately 14% for
HHT888-5 treatment. Furthermore, the interferon therapy is typically
administered
intramuscularly or intravenously, with frequent adverse effects. The HHT888-5
treatment
was administered orally (like drinking a tea) with no apparent side effects in
all patients
treated. Oral administration is much more convenient and more economical than
io intramuscular or intravenous administration. HHT888-5 can thus be safely
and conveniently
consumed even on a long-term basis to reduce or control HBV proliferation in
HBV carriers
and hepatitis B patients.
When the HBV viral load in an HBV carrier can be reduced or maintained at a
sufficiently low level, the carrier is much less likely to progress to
hepatitis, liver cirrhosis,
15 liver cancer, and death. Thus, HHT888-5 can be used to prevent and treat
hepatitis B, or even
prevent liver cirrhosis or liver cancer caused by HBV infection.
Since HHT888-5 was administered in this Example by mixing the powder in water
first and then consumed orally, isolation of the active components of HHT888-5
and its
administration to humans would also be efficacious in the treatment of HBV.
Dosages of the
20 herb mixture HHT888-5 as high was 120 g per day have been accomplished
without serious
side effects.
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EXAMPLE 4
Antiretroviral Testing of Herb Mixtures and their Water Extracts
In this example, two herb mixtures, HHT888-4 and HHT888-5, were tested for
their
antiretroviral activities and found to be active against EMuLV and HIV in an
in vitro assay.
Two in-vitro assays, anti-Ecotropic Murine Leukemia Virus (anti-EMuLV) and
anti-HIV,
were used to test the antiretroviral activities of the inventive compositions.
The anti-EMuLV assay uses a large, enveloped, RNA-containing retrovirus,
EMuLV,
which belongs to the same virus family as HIV and has many characteristics
that are similar
to HIV.
1. Anti-Ecotrovjc Murine Leukemia Virus Assay
The assay contained two parts, a cytotoxicity test and a virus suppression
test. See
QBI Protocol 39014 Final Report and QBI Protoco139016 Final Report, Quality
Biotech,
Camden, NJ, USA, 1992. Each sample was initially tested for its cytotoxicity
to the SC-I
indicator cells which were used for titration of infectious EMuLV in a XC
plague assay. -
Cytotoxicity as reported herein is expressed in terms of percent of control
proliferation. The
higher the percent means the substance being tested is not toxic to the cells.
This is very
important as compounds that are highly toxic would scew the interpretation of
the assay
results. For example, high activity in an HIV assay and a high cytotoxicity
(low % of control
proliferation) could mean that the test compound is inhibiting the growth of
the host cells
thereby limiting the growth of the virus. Thus, a false positive on anti-viral
activity could be
interpreted. See QBI protocol C30015, Quality Biotech, Camden, NJ, USA. Each
sample
was dispersed in a virus resuspension buffer (50 mM Tris, pH 7.8, 10 mM KCL,
0.1 mM
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EDTA) without the virus. The solution was then subjected to the XC plague
assay under the
same conditions as those for the determination of EMuLV titer. A sample was
considered
cytotoxic if the indicator cells for the assay were less than 50 % confluent.
A noncytotoxic
sample concentration was chosen for the virus suppression test.
s In the virus suppression test, each sample was incubated with EMuLV (strain
AKV623, titer 2.2-4.2 x 105 PFU/mL) in a virus resuspension buffer at 23-25
mg/mL (e.g.,
100 mg/4.0 mL) for 12-32 minutes. The treated virus suspension was pH
adjusted, if
necessary, to within 6.8-7.2 and then tested for its titer in the XC plague
assay.
An aliquot (1.5 mL) was diluted in the cell culture medium to the endpoint (10
, 10'1,
l0'2, 10-3, 10', 10-s, 10, 10, and 10'g dilutions, or as appropriate). Each
dilution was
vortexed to resuspend any particulates if present and assayed in duplicate for
infectious viral
particles by the XC plaque assay. A positive control (virus suspension without
treatment) and
a negative control (cell culture medium, no virus) were also analyzed
concurrently to validate
the assay.
is Anti-EMuLV activity of the sample was expressed in log10 reduction of the
EMuLV
titer when compared to the positive control. A sample with log10 titer
reduction greater than
0.5 is considered to be active.
HHT888-4 and HHT888-5 were initially tested "as is" and exhibited good
antiviral
activities (1.0 to 1.4 log10 reduction in viral titer) at 25 mg/mL and 12
minutes of incubation
with the virus at room temperature. They were then tested again with a longer
incubation
time (32 minutes) with the virus at the same concentration. Each sample was
also tested for
its soluble and insoluble fractions in the above virus resuspension buffer to
see if any active
component was water soluble. The soluble portion was separated from the
insoluble one by
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centrifuge at room temperature and l 0,000x g for 10 minutes. The soluble
fraction was
divided into two aliquots, one 0.45-pm filtered and one unfiltered, and tested
to see if residual
particulates have any effect on the activity.
Table 2 summarizes the anti-EMuLV activity test results. The results confirmed
that
both HHT888-4 and HHT888-5 and their soluble and insoluble fractions have anti-
EMuLV
activities. The samples caused 1.0 to 2.61oglo reduction in viral titer when
they were
incubated with the virus at 23-25 mg/mL for 32 minutes. Microfiltration did
not significantly
affect the activity of either soluble fraction.
TABLE 2
lo Anti-Ecotropic 1Vlurine Leukemia Virus Activity
C330toxicitv* Anti-EMuLV Activity
Sample Treatment 25 2.5 0.25 mg/mL Loglo Titer Reduction**
HHT888-4 "as is" Yes No No 1.02 (90 %)***
"as is" Yes No No 1.04 (91 %)* ***
Soluble -- -- -- 1.74 (98 %)* * * *
Soluble, filtered -- -- -- 1.59 (97 %)* * * *
Insoluble -- -- -- 2.64 (99.8 %)****
HHT888-5 "as is" Yes No No 1.35 (96 %)***
"as is" Yes No No 2.10 (99.2 %)****
Soluble -- -- -- 2.05 (99.1 %)* * * *
Soluble, filtered -- -- -- 1.71 (98.1 %)* * * *
Insoluble -- -- -- 1.72 (98.1 %)****
* Sample was considered cytotoxic if the SC- I indicator cells for the assay
were less than 50%
confluent.
** As compared to a working virus suspension with a titer of 2.2-4.2 x 10
PFU/mL (plaque
fonning units/ml), or Logio (PFU/mL) = 5.34-5.62. The values in parentheses
indicate percent
reductions in viral titer from the working virus suspension.
*** Incubation time 12 minutes, at 25 mg/mL test level. The activity may be
caused by the
sample, by microbial contaminant, or by a non-specific physical interaction
between the particles of
the sample and the virus, since the samples were not sterile filtered before
assay.
**** Incubation time 32 minutes, at 25 mg/mL test level for the "as is"
unfractionated samples.
For soluble, soluble & sterile filtered, and insoluble fractions, the test
level was equivalent to 23
mg/mL of its unfractionated sample.
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The data contained in Table 2 demonstrates that HHT888-4 and HHT888-5 are
effective anti-EMuLV agents.
2. Anti-Human Immunodeficiencv Virus Assay
This assay also contained two parts, a toxicity test and an HIV suppression
test. The
sample was mixed in a cell culture medium, e.g., 50 mg in 1.00 mL. The mixture
was
vortexed and centrifuged to separate the soluble from the insoluble. The
supennate was
filtered through a 0.45- m filter and then diluted with cell culture medium to
appropriate
io concentrations for the assay. The cell culture medium used in the assay was
RPMI 1640 (pH
7.3 0.3) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum, 2 mM glutamine, 50 U/mL
penicillin and
50 g/nzl. streptomycin.
The sample was tested for its cytotoxicity and/or cytostatic activity towards
the target
cells, human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs). A lymphocyte proliferation
assay was
i s used for the toxicity test, where a 100 L sample was incubated with 100
L of a cell
suspension of uninfected PBLs (3 x 105 cells) under the same conditions as the
HIV
suppression test. Lymphocyte proliferation was measured by a colorimetric
assay
(IvITT-Test). See T. Mosmann, J. Immunological Methods, bi, 55-63 (1983). A
sample
concentration which results in >_ 70% of the control in lymphocyte
proliferation is considered
20 to be acceptable for the HIV suppression test.
In the HIV suppression test, HIV-1 infected PBLs were cultivated in the
presence of
the sample for four (4) days as in the toxicity test. See H. Ruebsamen-
Waigmann, et al., J.
Med. Virology,1Q, 335-344 (1986). The secreted viral core protein p24 and/or
viral RNA
were determined as indicators for virus proliferation status on day 3 and day
4 by an HIV-1
25 p24 capture ELISA technique and an HIV-RNA dot blot hybridization
technique,
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respectively. The concentration of p24 synthesized by the HIV infected cells
was determined
by Sandwich ELISA. A standard preparation of recombinant p24 (MicroGeneSys,
USA) was
used for calibration of the ELISA. See Ch. Mueller, et al., Fresenius Z. Anal.
Chem., JU,
352-353 (1988).
HIV-RNA synthesized in the infected cells was determined by a nucleic acid
hybridization technique. Cellular RNA was prepared from the infected cells and
analyzed by
a dot blot hybridization technique. The hybridization solution contained the
P32-labeled DNA
probe which comprised a 5.5 kilobase DNA fragment of the HIV isolate D31. See
H. v.
Briesen, et al., J. Med. Virology, 23-, 51-66 (1987). This fragment covering
the gag/pol region
of the virus is labeled with P32 alpha-d CTP by oligonucleotide labeling. Plus-
strand RNA
transcripts derived from the gag/pol region of the viral isolate D31 were used
as the extetnal
standard for the hybridization. These "run-ofI" transcripts were generated by
means of the T7
polymerase reaction from negatively polarized HIV-DNA under T7-promotor
control. The
concentration of RNA transcripts was determined spectrophotometrically. The
hybridized
probe was detected by autoradiography and the processed autoradiograms were
evaluated
densitometrically.
A positive control, a negative control, and an AZT control were conducted
concurrently to assure the validity of the HIV suppression test. All tests
were performed in
triplicates, and 96-well round bottom microtiter plates were used for all
assays.
A positive control was HIV-1 infected lymphocytes cultivated in the presence
of the
cell culture medium without the sample. A negative control was lymphocytes
infected with a
heat-inactivated virus inoculum incapable of replication. These "mockinfected"
lymphocytes
were cultivated and assayed in the same way as the infected cells. The amount
of viral
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protein being present in the cultures solely due to the remaining inoculum was
thus
determined as the background level. The amount of viral protein p24 in the
test sample and
in the positive control due to viral replication was then determined by the
respective p24
levels less the background level.
The amount of viral protein being present in the cultures containing the
sample due to
viral proliferation was compared with that in the positive control, i.e., the
culture without the
sample. The % suppression of HIV proliferation was determined by the
difference in p24
levels between the positive control and the sample, divided by the p241evel of
the positive
control, and timed 100%.
The.A2T control was conducted via HIV-1 infected lymphocytes that were
cultivated
in the presence of azidothymidine (AZT) at concentrations of 100, 10, 1 and
0.1 ng/mL,
respectively. This provided an estimate of the sensitivity of the lymphocytes
towards AZT, a
known inhibitor of HIV-1 replication. The suppression of HIV-1 proliferation
caused by
AZT in a concentration of 10 ng/mL should be greater than 50% as compared to
the untreated
is positive control.
Table 3 summarizes the cytotoxicity and the HIV suppression test results of
HHT888-0 and HHT888-5, as well as the AZT controls. Both herb mixtures were
active in
suppressing HIV proliferation in infected human lymphocytes at 2.5-5.0 mg/mL,
but not at 50
g/mL (50-100 times diluted). The AZT controls from all sets exhibited the
expected
activities and thus assured the validity of the tests.
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TABLE 3
Anti-HIV Activities of HHT888-4 and HHT888-5
HIV Sun reJssion
Test p2A
RNA
Sample Concentration Cytotoxicity* Day 3 Day 4 Day 3 Day
4
:Lo HHT888-4 2.5 mg/mL > 46% 100% 100% l00'/0 100'/0
50 pg/mL 85% 1% 6% -- --
HHT888-5 5.0 mg/mL 75% 100% 97% 99% 100%
50 g/mL 86% 0% 12% - --
AZT 100 ng/mL -- 99-100% 100% -- --
10 ng/mL -- 85-98% 77-96% -- --
i ng/mL -- 20-39% 8-12% -- --
0.1 ng/mL -- 0% 0-3% -- --
*Percent proliferation of control. HHT888-4 was 46 % at 5.0 mg/mL. Both HHT888-
4
and HHT888-5 were cytotoxic (< 50 % of control) at 25 mg/mL level.
At 2.5-5.0 mg/mL of HHT888-4 and HHT888-5, HIV proliferation in infected human
lymphocytes was essentially completely suppressed: 97-100% suppression based
on viral
protein p24 and 99-100% suppression based on viral RNA determined on both day
3 and day
4 after treatment. The anti-HIV activity at 50 g/mL was negligible, 0-12%
suppression for
both herb mixtures. The activities could not be attributed to insoluble
particulates since they
were filtered out by a 0.45- m filter before the assay and the activities were
not due to
cytotoxicity. Repeat tests on three lots of HHT888-4 showed 100% suppression
at 2.5
mg/mL on both day 3 and day 4 with acceptable cytotoxicity (71-100% of control
proliferation). Repeat tests on three lots of HHT888-5 at 2.5 mg/mL showed 93-
98%
suppression on day 3 and 89-99% suppression on day 4 with acceptable
cytotoxicity (85-91%
of control proliferation). Results of the repeat experiments are shown in
Table 4.
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TABLE 4
Anti-HIV Activities of HHT888-4 and HHT888-5 and their Water $xtracts
% Test HIV Su"ression**
s Sample Lot Weight Concentration Cytotoxicity* Day 3 Day 4
HHT888-4 1 100% 2.5 mg/mL > 46% 100% 100%
2.5 mg/mL 98% 100% 100%
0.05 mg/mL 85% 1% 6%
2 100'/0 2.5 mg/mL 100% 100% 100%
3*** 100'/o 2.5 mg/mL 71-79% 100% 100%
HHT888-4-E1 2 17% 1.0 mg/mL 98% 1000/0 96%
E2 2 11 10 1.0 mg/mL 96% 100% 87%
E 2 28% 1.0 mg/mL 47% 100% 100%
1s 0.5 mg/mL 78% 100% 100%
4 27f 1%(+) 1.0 mg/mL 72% 100% 100%
1.0 mg/mL 100% 100% 93%
0.1 mg/mL 97% 34% 12%
0.02 mg/mL 82% 23% 2%
2 o HHT888-5 1 100% 5.0 mg/mL 75% 1000/0 97%
2.5 mg/mL 89% 93% 91%
0.05 mg/mL 86% 0% 12%
2 100'10 2.5 mg/mL 91% 94% 89%
3*** 100% 2.5 mg/mL 44-85% 98% 99%
25 0.5 mg/mL 52-100% 0% 0%
HHT888-5-E 2 19% 1.0 mg/mL 91% 71% 26%
* Toxicity in percent of control proliferation.
HIV suppression based on viral protein p24 ievels.
30 *"* Composite of respective single herb components at equai proportions.
No.5(10) and
No.5(11) were not included in Lot 3 of HHT888-5.
+ Based on two (2) runs.
It is noted that Lot 3 of HHT888-4 or HHT888-5 was prepared by mixing the
35 respective single-herb components at equal proportion by weight. - Lot 3 of
HHT888-5 was
composed of nine (9) single-herb components, excluding No.5(10) and No.5(I 1).
Water extracts of HHT888-4 and HHT888-5 (E to E2) from one to two lots were
further tested to see whether the active components were extractable by water.
Water extracts
of HHT888-4 and 5 were prepared by extracting 5 g of the powder with 25 mL of
MilliQ
40 purified water twice. Each water suspension was vortexed for 1 minute,
stood for 5 minutes,
CA 02401295 2002-09-27
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and vortexed again for 1 minute to facilitate the extraction. The extract was
separated from
the insoluble by centrifuge at 1,000-2,000 rpm for 20 minutes. The supemate
was transferred
into a clean preweighed 50-mL centrifuge tube, freeze dried, weighed, and
tested for anti-HIV
activity.
The percent weight of material extracted was 17.3% for the first 25 mL extract
and
10.8% for the second 25 mL extract of HHT888-4 (Lot 2). That was 14.2 % for
the first 25
mL extract and 4.6% for the second 25 mL extract of HHT888-5 (Lot 2). The
first (El ), the
second (E2) and the combined (E) extracts of HHT888-4 (Lot 2) were tested for
anti-HIV
activity. All the other extracts were tested with the first and the second
extracts combined.
lo The results are also set forth in Table 4.
All three lots of each of the herb mixtures were very active, 100% suppression
at 2.5
mg/mL for HHT888-4 and 89-100 % suppression at 2.5-5.0 mg/mL for HHT888-5. The
IC50
was between 0.05-2.5 mg/mL for HHT888-4 and between 0.5-2.5 mg/mL for HHT888-
5.
IC50 is the concentration of the test substance at which would cause 50%
suppression of the
viral proliferation.
The water extract of HHT888-4 showed very good activity: 93-100% suppression
at
0.5-1.0 mg/mL. The first (EI ) and the second water extract (E2) of Lot 2
exhibited
comparable activities: 100% suppression on day 3 and 87-96 % suppression on
day 4 at 1.0
mg/mL. The IC50 of the water extract of HHT888-4 was between 0.1-0.5 mg/mL.
The water extract of HHT888-5 (Lot 2) exhibited a substantially lower
activity: 71%
suppression on day 3 which dropped to 26% suppression on day 4 at 1.0 mg/mL.
The main
active component apparently stayed behind in the insoluble fraction and was
not as easily
extracted by water as that of HHT888-4 under the aforementioned conditions. It
is noted that
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the water extract of HHT888-5 (Lot 2) constituted 19% by weight of the herb
mixture. The
test concentration of the water extract of HHT888-5 (or HHT888-5-E) at 1.0
mg/mL is
equivalent to 5.3 mg/mL of HHT888-5 itself. HHT888-5 was tested very active at
both 2.5
mg/mL (93-98% suppression on day 3 and 89-99% on day 4) and 5.0 mg/mL (100%
suppression on day 3 and 97% on day 4).
The above results clearly demonstrated that both HHT888-4 and HHT888-5 and
their
water extracts have in vitro antiretroviral activities, more specifically anti-
EMuLV and
anti-HIV activities. HHT888-5 has also been shown to be efficacious in
treating hepatitis B
virus carriers.
EXAMPLE 5
Antiretroviral_ Testing of Individual Single-herb Herbal Medicines
In this experiment, the individual single-herb components of HHT888-4 and
is HHT888-5 were tested for anti-HIV activity. Table 5 sets forth the test
results:
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TABLE 5
Anti-HIV Activities of Single-herb Comnonents of HHT888-4 and HHT888-5
Test HIV Sun,nression**
Sample Lot Concentration Cytotoxicity* Day 3 Day 4
No.4(1)*** 1 2.5 mg/mL 98% 73% 50%
No.4(2) 1 2.5 mg/mL 74-84% 92% 94%
No.4(3) 1 2.5 mg/mL 75-78% 100% 100%
No.4(4) 1 2.5 mg/mL 74-100% 100% 100%
No.4(5) 1 2.5 mg/mL 41-79% 98% 92%
0.5 mg/mL 47-100% 0% 0%
No.5(1)*** 1 2.5 mg/mL 98% 73% 50%
No.5(2) 1 2.5 mg/mL 73-87% 18% 29%
i5 No.5(3) 1 2.5 mg/mL 89-100% 0% 0%
No.5(4) 1 2.5 mg/mL 64% 100% 100%
1.0 mg/mL 69-91% 0% 0%
No.5(5) 1 2.5 mg/mL 80-84% 93% 93%
No.5(6) 1 2.5 mg/mL 94-100% 0% 0%
No.5(7) 1 2.5 mg/mL 90-100% 50% 38%
No.5(8) 1 2.5 mg/mL 32-59% 100% 100%
0.5 mg/mL 65-100% 0% 0%
No.5(9) 1 0.5 mg/mL 24-78% 0% 0%
No.5(10) 1 2.5 mg/mL 100% 65% 0%
No.5(11) 1 2.5 mg/mL 100% 92% 74%
* Toxicity in percent of control proliferation.
** HIV suppression based on viral protein p24 levels.
*** No.4(1) = No.5(1)
All five (5) single-herb components of HHT888-4 exhibited anti-HIV activities
with
various degrees: 73-100% suppression on day 3 and 50-100% suppression on day 4
at 2.5
mg/mL. No.4(3) and No.4(4) exhibited the best activity: 100% suppression at
2.5 mg/mL on
both day 3 and day 4. No.4(2) and No.4(5) were the next: 92-98% suppression on
day 3 and
92-94% suppression on day 4 at 2.5 mg/mL. No.4(1) exhibited a moderate
activity: 73%
suppression on day 3 and 50% suppression on day 4 at 2.5 mg/mL. No.4(5)
exhibited a slight
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cytotoxicity (41-79% of control proliferation) which was likely to contribute
to the observed
activity with an ID50 between 0.5 and 2.5 mg/mL.
Three (3) of the eleven (11) single-herb components of HHT888-5: No.5(4),
No.5(5),
and No.5(8) exhibited very good activities, 93-100% suppression of HIV
proliferation on
both day 3 and day 4 at 2.5 mg/mL. No.5(I 1) was the next: 92% suppression on
day 3 and
74% suppression on day 4 at 2.5 mg/mL. Again, No.5(1), which was the same as
No.4(1),
had a moderate activity: 73% suppression on day 3 and 50% suppression on day 4
at 2.5
mg/mL. No.5(2) and No.5(7) exhibited only marginal activities: 18-50%
suppression on day
3 and 29-38% suppression on day 4 at 2.5 mg/mL. No.5(10) exhibited a very
slight activity:
65% suppression on day 3 which dropped to 0% on day 4 at 2.5 mg/mL. The
remaining three
(3) single-herb components, No.5(3), No.5(6), and No.5(9) exhibited no
activity at 0.5-2.5
mg/mL. No.5(9) was not tested at 2.5 mg/mL level because of its cytotoxicity:
already
24-78% of control proliferation at 0.5 mg/mL.
Although No.5(4) and No.5(8) appeared to be slightly more active than No.5(5)
is (100% vs. 93% suppression at 2.5 mg/mL), their activities might be
partially due to
cytotoxicity (32-64% of control proliferation at 2.5 mg/mL). This was
supported by the loss
of activity (0% suppression) when tested at lower levels, 0.5-1.0 mg/mL, where
the
cytotoxicity was lower and more acceptable to the assay.
EXAMPLE 6
Anti-HIV Testing of Medicinal Plant
The source plant of the single-herb herbal medicine No.5(5), Aeginetia indica,
was
obtained from a local herbal store in Taiwan and tested for its anti-HIV
activity. This was to
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see whether the activity can be reproduced in the herbal medicine prepared
directly from its
source plant, instead of being obtained from the conunercial source.
The whole plant was washed with cold water, dried, comminuted, and extracted
with
boiling water as described in Example 2. The aqueous solution was separated
from the plant
s material by filtration. The aqueous solution was then reduced in volume by
heating. The
concentrate was spray dried and absorbed onto powdered material of the same
plant material
and thus was prepared the herbal medicine in powder form, designated
hereinafter as raw
No.5(5).
The powdered herbal medicine prepared from Aeginetia indica, or raw No.5(5),
was
extracted with water at ambient temperature. Two (2) 5.00 g samples were each
extracted
twice with about 40 mL of water each time in a separate 50-mL plastic
centrifuge tube by
vortexing for one (1) minute, standing for ten (10) minutes, and vortexing
again for one (1)
minute. The tubes were centrifuged at 1500 rpm for twenty (20) minutes to
separate the
extracts from the insoluble residues. The extracts were filtered through a
Whatman No.4
filter paper, freeze dried or nitrogen dried, and weighed.
The above extraction of the raw No.5(5) with water (pH -5.1) was repeated and
the
pH of the first extract was measured to be 5.7. The first and the second
extracts were
respectively separated from the residue, air dried, and weighed. The percent
weight of the
extractable was determined to be 18.7 t 2.8% (n = 2).
The first water extract of the raw No.5(5) was tested for anti-HIV activity
and found
to be active, 91% suppression on day 3 and 97% suppression on day 4 at 1.0
mg/mL.
Cytotoxicity test showed that the extract was not cytotoxic at this level, 99%
of control
proliferation.
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EXAMPI.C 7
Treatment of Hepatitis C Patients
HHT888-5 has been demonstrated to be effective and safe in treating HBV
infections
in humans. That means, the active principle or principles of HHT888-5 must be
bioavailable
in humans through oral administration to cause the decrease of HBV in those
patients treated,
as indicated by the decrease of their HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) exhibited in
Example 3.
In addition, Hozumi et al. provided examples in US Patent No. 5,4] 1,733 to
support the
io belief that substances exhibiting antiviral activity in vitro also possess
antiviral activity in
vivo as described in the Prior Art section. It is therefore logical to believe
that HHT888-4 or
HHT888-5 and their water extracts or active principles should also be
effective for treating
HIV infections in humans.
To test this belief, six (6) of the most anti-HIV active single-herb
components of
is HHT888-4 and HHT888-5 were selected to treat hepatitis C patients caused by
HCV
infections. The logic is that both HCV and HIV are retroviruses. Viral
hepatitis C tends to
become a chronic disease and is therefore more suitable for the test of the
treatment. If the
treatment works for patients infected with HCV, it will also work for patients
infected with
HIV. Example 7 clearly demonstrates the validity of this belief.
Six (6) of the most anti-HIV active single-herb components of HHT888-4 and
HHT888-5 were selected and mixed to treat hepatitis C patients caused by HCV
infections.
The six (6) single-herb herbal medicines selected were No.4(2), No.4(3),
No.4(4), No.5(4),
No.5(5), and No.5(8). No.4(5) was not included although it exhibited a very
good activity,
because it was learned that the herb might have a certain unconfirmed
toxicity.
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The six (6) single-herb herbal medicines were obtained from a conunercial
source and
were manufactured following good manufacture practice (GMP) guidelines. They
were
mixed according to the desired ratio in various combinations and thus the herb
mixture
HHT888-45 was prepared as described in Example 1. Patients' consents were
obtained before
the initiation of treatment.
Patients were instructed to take the herb mixture three (3) times a day, 2.7-
5.7 g each
time. Unit dosages of the herb mixture HHT888-45 were prepared in individual
packets.
Each unit dose packet (2.7-5.7 g) of the herb mixture was mixed with warm
water and taken
orally. All patients were treated with HHT888-45 containing No.4(3), No.4(4),
No.5(4), and
No.5(5). No.5(8) or No.4(2) or both were added in HHT888-45 for the treatment
of some
patients at the very beginning or during the course of the treatment to
enhance the
effectiveness of the treatment.
During the course of the treatment, the daily dose of No.4(3), No.4(4),
No.5(4), and
No.5(5) varied from two (2) to three (3) grams each. The daily dose of No.5(8)
also varied
1s from two (2) to three (3) grams when used. The daily dose of No.4(2) varied
from 1.5 to two
(2) grams when used. The dose was varied according to the progress of the
disease.
Seven (7) viral hepatitis C patients were treated. Their serum liver enzymes,
SGOT
and SGPT, were determined from time to time by a local clinical laboratory
during the course
of the treatment to monitor the progress of the disease. The SGOT and SGPT
were
determined using an enzyme assay. See (1) Instruction of Kyokuto TA-E
Transaminase Assay
Reagents, Permit No. (62AM)0885, Kyokuto Pharmaceutical Industry Co., Ltd.,
Tokyo,
3apan, 1994; (2) Instruction of Yatrozyme TA-Lq Transaminase-assay Reagent
Solution
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(Enzyme Assay), Commodity No. 817245 (RM163-K), Yatron Co., Ltd., Diayatron
Co., Ltd.,
Tokyo, Japan; and (3) U. Lippi & G Guidi, Clin. Chem. Acta., 2$, 431-437
(1970).
The levels of serum GOT and GPT closely correlate with the degree of cellular
injury
in the liver. These tests are widely used in the diagnosis of liver diseases
and as an indicator
of the liver funetion. The normal range for SGOT is 8-40 units/mL and that for
SGPT is 5-35
units/mL. Elevated SOOT and SGPT levels usually indicate compromised liver
functions.
The results of HHT888-45 treatment are shown in Table 6. All seven (7)
patients
treated had their serum liver enzymes returned from elevated levels (SGOT from
48 to 166
unit/mL and SGPT from 41 to 291 unit/mL) to essentially nonnal range (SGOT
from 8 to 40
unit/mL and SGPT from 5 to 35 unit/mL) after 17 to 178 days of treatment.
Thus, the liver
functions of the patients were returned to normal after consumption of the
inventive
composition.
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TABLE 6
Clinical Effect Of HHT888-45* On Tyne C Hepatitis Patients
SGOT**, unit/mL SGPT**. unit/mL Duration
Patient Before After Before After (days)
1 112 53 238 146 3
30 35 64
16 18 77
2 81 35 103 62 9
41 61 20
46 67 29
32 56 37
21 43 53
24 50 70
23 43 85
28 55 102
23 44 117
23 29 178
3 117 96 179 123 8
75 74 19
66 69 26
47 51 34
55 48 42
42 45 50
48 40 70
38 32 79
26 88
4 48 32 71 65 56
30 30 55 70
21 37 87
5 83 64 67 54 8
58 46 14
56 40 22
42 34 29
38 28 36
6 166 106 291 206 2
71 121 16
51 81 22
57 89 29
36 45 45
31 36 50
28 37 58
22 29 64
28 32 71
25 27 85
36 28 103
23 27 113
23 22 163
7 30 28 41 42 9
29 32 17
* Comprising mainly Nos.4(3), 4(4), 5(4) and 5(5), and occasionally 4(2) and
5(8).
** SGOT = serum glutamine oxalacetate transferase; normal range = 8-40 unidmL.
SGPT = serum glutamine pyruvate transferase; norrnai range = 5-35 unit/mL.
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The results clearly demonstrate that the herb mixture HHT888-45 is effective
in
treating hepatitis C patients. To accomplish that, the causative HCV needs to
be eradicated or
reduced to a tolerable level. Since HHT888-45 components have demonstrated
very strong
anti-HIV in vitro activity and several of the components have demonstrated
efficacy in
reducing HBV in carriers, the herb mixture will therefore be effective in
treating patients
infected with HIV and HBV.
It is therefore an aspect of this invention that the antiviral herbal
medicines including
the herb mixtures according to this invention and their single-herb components
at various
proportions and effective doses are effective in treating hepatitis C,
hepatitis B, and other
retroviral diseases, such as AIDS.
Since a precise chemical identification and pharmacological mechanism of the
compositions of this invention have not yet been elucidated, it is possible
that the antiviral
activity may be due to a single herbal component, a combination of components
or the
biological metabolite or derivative thereof. The following Examples
investigate the chemical
1 s identification of the active components set forth in this application.
EXAMPLE 8
Fractionation Of Active Single-Herb Comeonents
The three most anti-HIV active single-herb components of HHT888-5: No.5(4),
No.5(5) and No.5(8) were fractionated by water extraction, Cl 8 solid-phase-
extraction (SPE)
column, liquid chromatography (C l 8-SPE-LC) and C 18 column high-performance
liquid
chromatography (Cl 8-HPLC). The herb mixture HHT888-4 was also fractionated
concurrently for comparison. The purpose was to identify the active compound
or
compounds of each anti-HIV active herbal medicines or medicinal herbs.
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1. Water Extraction
The single-herb herbal medicines No.5(4), No.5(5) and No.5(8) and the herb
mixture
HHT888-4 were extracted twice with water at ambient temperature (about 25 C)
with 8 to 10
s mL of water per gram of sample (e.g., 5 g powder with 40 mL water and 50 g
powder with
500 mL water) each time. The water suspension was stirred for fifteen (15)
minutes or
vortexed for one (1) minute, stood for ten (10) minutes and vortexed again for
one (1) minute.
The water extract was separated from the insolubles by centrifuge at 1,500 rpm
for twenty
(20) minutes and filtered through a Whatman No. 4 filter paper.
io 2. C18-SPE-LC
Each water extract was fractionated by C18-SPE column liquid chromatography. A
ten (10) mL aliquot of the extract was loaded onto a I0-g ISOLUTE C18(EC)-SPE
column
(from Intemational Sorbent Technology, Ltd., Hengoed, Mid-Glamorgan, UK or
Jones
3.5 Chromatography, Lakewood, Colorado, USA) which was preconditioned with 50
mL ethanol
and 100 mL water. The SPE column (2.6 cm inside diameter by 2.7 cm length,
plus 60 mL of
reservoir) was packed with 10 g of end-capped (EC) C18 sorbent particles with
an average
particle diarneter of 61 m and carbon loading of 19%.
The loaded column was eluted in sequence and by gravity with 90 mL water, 100
mL
a o ethanol, 100 mL 1% HCl in ethanol, and 50 mL 0.1 % HCl in ethanol/water at
10/90, v/v.
Eluate was collected in 50-mL samples. The water eluates were either freeze-
dried in a glass
flask or air-dried in plastic weighing dishes. The ethanol, acidic ethanol,
and acidic
ethanol/water eluates were air-dried respectively in plastic weighing dishes.
The air-dried
acidic ethanol (1% HC1 in ethanol) and acidic ethanol/water (0.1% HCI in
ethanol/water at
25 10/90, v/v) eluates were redissolved in 1% HCl/ethanol and water,
respectively; then
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transferred into 4-mL WISP vials and dried again under nitrogen. The dried
fractions of the
first 50 mL water eluate (A), the first 50 mL ethanol eluate (B), the first 50
mL 1%
HCI/ethanol eluate (C), and the 50 mL 0.1% HCl/10 % ethanol/90% water eluate
(D) were
tested for anti-HIV activities as previously described. The results are shown
in Table 7.
TABLE7
Anti-HIV Activities Of C18-SPE-LC Fractions Of HHT888-4E,
No.5(4)E. No.5(5)E and No.5(8)E
Water C18-SPE-LC Anti-HiV Activitv*
Extract Fraction** % Weight*** Test Level Toxicity**** Day 3 Day 4
HHT888-4E A 70.0 t 4.5% 0.7 mg/mL 50-73% 98% 61%
B 18.51 1.3% 0.2 mg/mL 21-95% 100% 87%
C 6.7 * 2.7% 0.1 mg/mL 98% 95% 85%
D 2.1 f 1.5% 0.1 mg/mL 100% 42% 0%
No.5(4)E A 78.6 f 7.6% 1.0 mg/mL 78% 99'/0 14%
0.2 mg/mL 76-97% 90% 20%
B 14.6 * 3.9% 0.1 mg/mL 68% 80% 2%
0.05 mg/nzL >68% 63% 0%
C 4.1 0.3% 0.1 mg/n'tL. 91% 49% 0%
D 3.0 f 1.5% 0.1 mg/mL 96% 19% 0%
No.5(5)E A 73.9 f 7.9% 1.0 mg/mL 98% 100% 100%
0.3 mg/mL 97-98% 100% 94%
0.3 mg/mL 85-90% 99% 99%
0.1 mg/mL 85% 91% 86o/a
B 14.6 -14.1 % 0.1 mg/mL 48% 98% 90%
0.07 mg/mL >48% 99% 41%
C 8.6 f 1.8 % 0.1 mg/mL 99% 96% 96%
D 2.5 f 1.7 % 0.1 mg/nil. 96% 25% 0%
No.5(8)E A 43.6 f 2.6 % 0.5 mg/mL 70% 93% 54%
0.3 mg/mL 70- l 00% 96% 5%
B 53.7 5.0 % 0.3 mg/mL 24-68% 100% 100%0
0.1 mg/mL 68% 88% 30'/0
C 2.2 f 0.9 % 0.1 mg/mL 100% 49% 0%
D 1.6 f 0.5 % 0.1 mg/mL 95% 14% 0%
* % suppression of HIV proliferation based on viral protein p24 levels.
** A = Water Eluate; B= Ethanol Eluate; C = 1% HCUEthanol Eluate;
D = 0.1% HCl/lO% Ethanol/90% Water Eluate.
*** Determined from three to five runs.
**** Toxicity in percent of control proliferation.
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Table 7 sets forth the cytotoxicity and anti-HIV activity test results of C18-
SPE-LC
fractions A, B, C and D of HHT888-4E, No.5(4)E, No.5(5)E and No.5(8)E.
The average % weight and the standard deviation of each C 18-SPE-LC fraction
for
the water extract (E) of each sample determined from three (3) to five (5)
runs are also shown
s in Table 7. The sample load per column per run was 199 to 205 mg for HHT888-
4E, 94 to 95
mg for No.5(4)E, 124 to 130 mg for No.5(5)E, and 165 to 178 mg for No.5(8)E on
dry weight
basis.
The results show that the water eluate (A) and the 1% HCI/ethanol eluate (C)
fractions
of No.5(5)E and the 1% HCI/ethanol eluate fraction (C) of HHT888-4E are the
most active
ones (91 to 96% suppression of HIV proliferation on day 3 and 85 to 96%
suppression on day
4 at 0.1 mg/mL) and noncytotoxic (85 to 99% of control). Air drying did not
affect the
activity of the water eluate fraction (A) of No.5(5)E. An air-dried No.5(5)E-A
exhibited an
activity of 99% suppression on both day 3 and day 4 at 0.3 mg/mL and 91%
suppression on
day 3 and 86% suppression on day 4 at 0.1 mg/mL. As a comparison, a freeze-
dried
is No.5(5)E-A exhibited an activity of 100% suppression on both day 3 and day
4 at 1.0 mg/mL
and 100% suppression on day 3 and 94% suppression on day 4 at 0.3 mg/mL.
The ethanol eluate fractions (B) of HHT888-4E, No.5(5)E, and No.5(8)E also
exhibited good anti-HIV activities: 100% suppression on day 3 and 87%
suppression on day
4 at 0.2 mg/mL for HHT888-4E, 98% suppression on day 3 and 90% suppression on
day 4 at
0.1 mg/mL for No.5(5)E, and 100% suppression on both day 3 and day 4 at 0.3
mg/mL for
No.5(8)E. However, the observed activities may be attributed partly to the
cytotoxicity: 21 to
95% of control proliferation for HHT888-4, 48% for No.5(5)E, and 24 to 68% for
No.5(8)E.
This hypothesis was supported by the significant decrease of the activity when
the sample
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concentration was lowered to a less cytotoxic level. For example, the activity
decreased from
90% to 41% inhibition on day 4 for No.5(5)E-B when its concentration was
decreased from
0.1 to 0.07 mg/mL. The activity decreased from 100% to 30% inhibition on day 4
for
No.5(8)E-B when its concentration was decreased from 0.3 to 0.1 mg/mL.
The water eluate fractions (A) of HHT888-4E and No.5(8)E exhibited moderate
anti-H1V activity: 98% suppression on day 3 and 61% suppression on day 4 at
0.7 mg/mL for
HHT888-4E and 93% suppression on day 3 and 54% suppression on day 4 at 0.5
mg/mL for
No.5(8)E. However, the activity may be partly attributed to cytotoxicity,
which was 50 to
73% for HHT888-4E and 70% for No.5(8)E. The activity of No.5(8)E-A decreased
from
io 54% to 5% on day 4 when the concentration decreased from 0.5 to 0.3 mg/mL
where the
cytotoxicity level (70-100% of control) was more acceptable.
The water eluate fraction (A) of No.5(4)E was marginally active: 90 to 99%
suppression on day 3 and 14 to 20% suppression on day 4 at 0.2 to 1.0 mg/mL,
respectively.
The ethanol eluate fraction (B) of No.5(4)E, 1% HCl/ethanol eluate fractions
(C) of Nos.
5(4)E and 5(8)E, and 0.1% HCl/10% ethanol/90% water eluate fractions (D) of
all four
samples were essentially not active at the levels tested: 14 to 80%
suppression on day 3 and 0
to 2% suppression on day 4 at 0.05 to 0.1 mg/mL.
Additional runs of Cl8-SPE-LC fractionation of No.5(5)E were conducted to
produce
more No.5(5)E-A and C fractions for further evaluation. Water extract (E) of
No.5(5) was
2o either loaded directly (10 mL per column), or was freeze-dried or air-dried
first, redissolved
in water (20 to 80 mg/mL), and then loaded (5 mL per column) for the
fractionation. The
overall % weight distribution of each fraction from these runs of No.5(5)E
was: A = 74.2 f
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6.0%, B = 12.2f4.0%,C=8.2f2.1%,andD=2.1 f0.9%. Thesevaluesareingood
agreement with those shown in Table 7.
3. C 8-HPLC
The above air-dried No.5(5)E-A was further fractionated by C 18-HPLC. A 500.9
mg
sample was dissolved in 5.00 mL water which was then centrifuged at 1500 rpm
for twenty
(20) minutes to separate the solution from the insolubles. The supenzate was
filtered through
a 0.45- m filter to remove any insoluble residues and was designated the water
soluble
fraction (WS). The precipitate was extracted with 5.00 mL of water three more
times and
io nitrogen dried as the water insoluble fraction (WI). The water soluble
fraction (WS) was
fractionated by a gradient HPLC using a Rainin Dynamax C18 preparatory column
(21.4 x
250 mm, 5 m particles) and the following conditions:
Flow rate: 9.00 mL/min
injection volume: 200 L
1 s Detection: UV 214 nm at 2.00 AUFS
Gradient: Time Acetonitrile/Water
0- l 0 min 2/98
10-25 min 2/98 --> 98/2 (linear)
25-30 min 98/2
20 30-35 min 98/2 -> 2/98 (linear)
35-Z0 min 2/98
Fractions were collected at 2.5 min intervals. A total of 28 fractions were
collected at
22.5 mL for each fraction. Table 8 indicates that certain fractions were
pooled before
25 conducting the assay.
Each of the above nitrogen dried C 18-HPLC fractions was tested for anti-HIV
activity
at a concentration equivalent to 0.33 mg/mL of the starting material, i.e.,
the water soluble
fraction (WS) of the air-dried No.5(5)E-A. The purpose was to identify the
active fraction or
fractions of the air-dried No.5(5)E-A which tested very active: 99 %
suppression of HIV
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proliferation at 0.3 mg/mL (see Table 7). At the concentration equivalent to
0.33 mg/mL of
the starting material, any active fraction was expected to also have a very
good activity of
99% suppression. The first water extract (WS) and the precipitate (WI) of the
air-dried
No.5(5)E-A were also tested concurrently at 0.33 mg/mL. Table 8 sets forth the
results. The
s % weight of each fraction is included and Fraction 3 contains the main peak.
TABLE8
Anti-HIV Activities Of Water Soluble And Insoluble Fractions Of Air-Dried
No.5($)E-A And The HPLC Fractions Of The Water Soluble Fraction
lo Anti-HIV Activity****
No.5(5)E-A Fractions* % Weight** Toxicity*** Day 3 Day 4
Water Insoluble (WI) 10.3% 100% 100% 100%
Water Soluble (WS) 86.0% 100% 86% 63%
15 WS-HPLC-F 1& 2 6.8% 86% 0% 4%
WS-HPLC-F3 109% 73% 0% 1%
WS-HPLC-F4 2.7% 93% 8% 0%
WS-HPLC-F5 2.0% 100% 0% 0%
WS-HPLC-F6 0.7% 100% 15% 0%
20 WS-HPLC-F7 <0.2% 100% 46% 0%
WS-HPLC-F8 3.0% 100% 0% 0%
WS-HPLC-F9 <0.2% 100% 0% 0%
WS-HPLC-F 10 <0.2% 87% 0% 1%
WS-HPLC-Fl i& 12 0.7% 91% 1% 1%
25 WS-HPLC-F13 & 14 10% 96% 0% 0%
WS-HPLC-F15 & 16 7.0'/o 89% 18% 0%
WS-HPLC-F17 & 18 1.5% 77% 25% 3%
WS-HPLC-F 19 to 28 1.2% 80% 0% 0%
* WI and WS were water insoluble and soluble fractions of the air-dried
No.5(5)E-A.
WS-HPLC-FI to 28 were the HPLC fractions of WS.
** % Weight of the starting material (WS)
*** Toxicity in % of control proliferation.
**** Activity in % inhibition of HIV proliferation based on viral protein p24
level. The test levels
for WI and WS of the air-dried No.5(5)E-A were both 0.33 mg/mL. The test
levels for all
HPLC fractions of WS were equivalent to 0.33 mg/mL of the starting material
WS.
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Table 8 shows that fraction WS-HPLC-F3 contained the most material, however,
it
was essentially not active in the anti-HIV assay.
These results are very surprising. All C 18-HPLC fractions tested were
essentially
inactive, 0-46% inhibition on day 3 and 0-4% inhibition on day 4. The water
soluble fraction
(WS) also showed a significantly lower activity (86% suppression on day 3 and
63%
suppression on day 4 at 0.33 mg/mL) than expected. This type of activity loss
during
separation and purification of active components from medicinal plants has
been widely
experienced by others, mostly attributing to the loss of synergistic effects
when the
compounds are separated from their matrix.
Our results indicated that the active component was surprisingly left behind
in the
water insoluble fraction (WI), instead of in the water soluble fraction (WS)
as originally
expected. The insoluble fraction tested very active, 100% suppression on both
day 3 and day
4 at 0.33 mg/mL. That means the main active component of the air-dried
No.5(5)E-A is in
the water insoluble fraction (WI), instead of in the soluble fraction (WS).
is The active component of No.5(5)E-A was originally soluble in water since it
was in
the Cl8-SPE-LC water eluate fraction. It had to become insoluble in water
during the air
drying and thus remained in the water insoluble fraction. The water insoluble
fraction then
must have become soluble in the neutral cell culture medium for it to be
tested active. This
must be the case as the sample solution in the cell culture medium was
centrifuged and
0.45- m filtered to remove insoluble substances before the anti-HIV assay.
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EXAMPLE 9
Identification Of Active Components
1. No_5(5)E-A
The pH of the cell culture medium used to dissolve the sample for anti-HIV
assay was
7.3 * 0.3. It was therefore hypothesized that the active component of No.5(5)E-
A was
soluble in neutral aqueous solution, like the cell culture medium, but became
acidified and
thus insoluble upon exposure to the atmosphere containing I-ICl vapor during
the air drying in
io a hood together with other C18-SPE-LC fractions that contained HCI. That
means the acid
form of the active component of No.5(5)E-A would be insoluble in water and
precipitate
when acidified. No.5(5)E-A is the C 18-SPE-LC water eluate fraction of No.5(5)
water
extract.
To test the hypothesis, we tested the solubility of the above active
precipitate (WI)
from No.5(5)E-A in various solvents. The precipitate was slightly soluble in
water and acidic
ethanol solutions, such as I lo HCI in ethanol and 0. l% HCI in ethanol/water
(10/90, v/v), and
formed very light to light yellow solutions with dark brown precipitates. It
was not soluble in
methanol, acetone, and 1% hydrochloric acid. It was soluble but slowly in
neutral phosphate
buffer saline (PBS, pH 7.2) which became a dark brown solution ovemight. It
was rapidly
and completely solubilized in 1% ammonium hydroxide solution (pH of 10.4)
which quickly
became a dark brown solution. This confirmed the above hypothesis that the
active
component was soluble in neutral or alkaline solutions but insoluble in acid
solution.
Based on the solubility t.est, the active precipitate (WI) of No.5(5)E-A
should be an
acid or acids. The fact that it was not soluble in alcohols (methanol,
ethanol, isopropanol),
acetone, and other common organic solvents (acetonitrile, chloroform, and
hexane) suggests
that it is unlikely to be a simple organic acid, such as benzoic acid. The
fact that it became
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progressively more soluble in aqueous solutions with an increase of pH
indicated a transition
from its acid form to a more soluble salt form.
To more definitively identify the active component of No.5(5)E-A, three water
eluate
fractions of No.5(5)E which were dried differently were extracted with water
the same way as
that of the air-dried No.5(5)E-A used for the above HPLC fractionation. One
fraction was
freeze-dried (FD) and two were air-dried (AD I & AD2). AD 1 and FD were
prepared from
the same water eluate. AD2 was the one whose activity was surprisingly found
in the water
insoluble fraction (WI).
Each sample was dissolved in water at 100 mg/mL and centrifuged (1,500 rpm for
20
min) to separate the soluble from the insoluble. For FD and AD 1, 1.20 g of
the sample was
dissolved in 12.0 mL water. For AD2, 0.567 g was dissolved in 5.67 mL water.
Each
precipitate was extracted again with the same amount of water three more
times. A 0.40 mL
aliquot of each extract was nitrogen-dried and weighed. The remaining extracts
were each
0.45- m filtered, acidified with 1% HCI (4 mL acid to 10 mL extract), and
centrifuged
(2,000 rpm for 20 min). The acid supemate (AS) was 0.45- m filtered. The acid
precipitate
(AP) was washed with 10 mL 0.01 % HCI (pH 2.82) two times and 10 mL water two
times,
nitrogen-dried and weighed.
Table 9 shows the pH of each water extract of the freeze dried (FD) and air
dried
(ADI, AD2) No.5(5)E-A's, the percent (%) weight distribution of each extract
and the
precipitate, acid precipitate formation of each extract, and the % weight of
the combined acid
precipitate from each No.5(5)E-A.
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TABLE 9
Water Extracts, Water Precipitates And Acid Precipitates Of
Freeze Dried (ED) And Air Dried (ADI AD2) No.5(5)-A'c
Acid Acid
Precipitate
No.5(5)E-A Fractions* Solution pH % Weight Precipitation % Weight
FD 1 st Water Extract 5.80 86.8% Yes 8.5%**
2nd Water Extract 6.10 2.8% Some
3rd Extract 5.79 0.3% Trace
4th Extract 5.85 < 0.3% No
Water precipitate -- 0.9% --
ADI 1 st Water Extract 4.83 84.0% Yes 8.3%**
2nd Water Extract 5.14 3.8% Some
3rd Water Extract 5.53 0.8% No
4th Water Extract 5.44 < 0.3% No
Water precipitate -- 3.1%
--
AD2 1 st Water Extract 3.21 77.3 f 3.2% No 0.3%* **
2nd Water Extract 3.51 6.9 t 0.8% No
3rd Water Extract 3.87 0.8 f 0.4% Some
Water precipitate -- 9.4 f 1.3% --
* At 100 mg/mL of No.5(5)E-A in water.
** Acid precipitates from the 1 st and 2nd extracts combined.
*** Acid precipitate from the 3rd and 4th extracts combined.
It was clearly shown that the water extracts of AD2 were more acidic (pH 3.2-
3.9)
than those of AD1 (pH's 4.8-5.5) and FD (pH's 5.8-6.1). The AD2 sample
contained more
water insoluble substance (9.4%) than AD1 (3.1%) and FD (0.9%). The more
acidic the
water extracts the greater amount of the insoluble substance isolated.
When the water extracts were acidified, the first and second extracts of FD
and AD1
formed precipitate, while those of AD2 did not. Instead, some precipitate
fonmed in the 3rd
and 4th extracts of AD2 whose original pH was 3.9. A trace precipitate was
observed in the
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acidified 3rd extract of FD, while no precipitate was observed in the 4th
extract of FD and in
the 3rd and 4th extracts of AD1.
This indicated that the active precipitate was insoluble in water at pH 3.2-
3.5, slightly
soluble at pH 3.9, and became soluble at pH 4.8 and above. Most FD was soluble
in water
whose solution pH was 5.8-6.1. Only 0.9% remained insoluble. AD1, whose
solution pH
was 4.8-5.5, contained a bit more insoluble material or precipitate, 3.1%.
AD2, whose
solution pH was 3.2-3.9, contained even more insoluble material or
precipitate, 9.4%. When
the water extracts of FD and AD1 were acidified, precipitate formed (8.3-
8.5%). The total
precipitate of FD (9.4%) or AD 1(1 1.4%) was comparable to that of AD2 (9.7%).
The %
weight of the acid supernate from the first extract of freeze dried No.5(5)E-A
or FD was
78.4%, which accounted for the balance of the material.
The first water extract and the precipitate of FD, and the acid supernate and
the acid
precipitate of the first water extract of FD were tested for anti-HIV
activity. The results are
shown in Table 10, which clearly indicated that the active component of FD or
freeze-dried
No.5(5)E-A was originally soluble in water and precipitable by acid. The main
activity of FD
was in the water extract (89% suppression on day 3 and 96% suppression on day
4 at 0.3
mg/mL) and not in the precipitate (13% suppression on both day 3 and day 4 at
0.3 mg/mL).
The main activity of the water extract, in curn, was in the acid precipitate
(97% suppression
on day 3 and 98% suppression on day 4 at 0.3 mg/mL) and not in the acid
supernate (4%
suppression on day 3 and 22% suppression on day 4 at 0.3 mg/mL). The cytotoxic
factor of
the water extract (cytotoxicity: 75% of control at 0.3 mg/mL) apparently
remained soluble in
acid (cytotoxicity: 60% of control at 0.3 mg/mL) and was separable from the
active acid
precipitate (cytotoxicity: 90% of control at 0.3 mg/mL).
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TABLE 10.
Anti-HIV Activities Of Freeze Dried No.5(5)E-A (FD) Fractions
Test Level Anti-HIV Activitv**
FD Fractions % Weight (mg/mL) Toxicity* Day 3 Day 4
1st Water Extract 86.8% 0.3 75% 89% 96%
Water Precipitate 0.9% 0.3 90% 13% 13%
1 st Water Extract 78.4% 0.3 60% 4% 22%
HCI Supernate
1 st Water Extract 8.5% 0.3 90% 97% 98%
HCI Precipitate
* Toxicity in % of control proliferation.
** Activity in % suppression of HIV proliferation based on viral protein p24
level.
It was therefore hypothesized that the active component of the freeze dried
No.5(5)E-A was essentially the same as that of the air dried No.5(5)E-A, and
both were
insoluble in acid. When No.5(5)E-A was freeze-dried, the active component
remained
soluble in water and became insoluble when the solution was acidified. When
No.5(5)E-A
was air dried, part or all of the active component was acidified and became
insoluble, as in
the case of AD1 and AD2. The source of acid was the HCI vapor from the acidic
ethanol/water fractions, since the water and ethanol eluates (A and B) were
air dried along
with the acidic ethanol/water eluates (C and D) in the same hood.
To verify the hypothesis, the active water precipitate of AD2 was redissolved
in a
neutral and a basic solution and reprecipitated with acid. Thus, two 50-mg
samples of each
precipitate were dissolved in 40 mL of PBS buffer (pH 7.2) or a basic 1% NH4OH
solution
(pH 10,4). The dissolution of the sample was slow in the PBS buffer and rapid
in the 1%
ammonium hydroxide solution. Both samples were not completely solubilized even
after
being stored ovenzight in a refrigerator. The solutions were then centrifuged
at 1,500 to 2,000
rpm for 40 minutes to separate the soluble from the insoluble. Each supernat.e
was filtered
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through a 0.45- m filter. Each brown precipitate was washed with 10 mL of its
respective
solvent and then 10 mL of water. The washes were separated by centrifuge at
2,000 rpm for
20 minutes and were discarded. Each washed precipitate and a 4.00 mL aliquot
of each
filtered supernate were nitrogen-dried and weighed. A 4.00 mL. PBS buffer was
also dried
concurrently for solvent blank correction of the PBS supemate.
Two 17.0 mL aliquots of each of the supemates were pipetted into separate 50-
mL
centrifuge tubes. One aliquot was acidified by titration with l% HCI until a
precipitate
formed. The other was acidified by titration with l% acetic acid first and
then with 1% HCI
until it formed a precipitate. Titration with 1% acetic acid alone was
insufficient to bring
3.0 down the solution pH low enough to form precipitate. The solution pH
titrated with 1%
acetic acid leveled off at a pH of about 3.4 to 3.8 with no visible
precipitate. Addition of 1%
HCI was needed to bring the solution pH lower to around 1.5 to 1.8 to form
precipitate.
Visible precipitate began to form at solution pH around 2.2 to 2.5. When the
supernates were
titrated with 1% HCI, the solution pH's were lowered to 1.4 and 1.5 and
precipitates formed.
is Precipitate began to form at pH around 2.3 for PBS supemate and around 3.3
for NH4OH
supernate titrated with HCI.
The acid supemate was separated from the acid precipitate by centrifuge at
2,000 rpm
for 20 minutes. Each acid supernate (AS) was filtered through a 0.45- m filter
and nitrogen
dried. Each acid precipitate (AP) was washed with 5 mL of 1% HCI once and
nitrogen dried.
20 The PBS supernate and precipitate, the acid (HCI) supemate and precipitate
of the PBS
supemate, and the acid (HCI) precipitate of the NH4OH supemate were tested for
anti-HIV
activities. The results are shown in Table 11.
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TABLE 11
Anti-HIV Activities Of Fractions Of The Active Air Dried
No.5(5)E-A Water Insoluble Fraction (AD2-WI)
AD2-WI Test Level Anti-HIV Activi tv* *
Fractions % Weight (mg/mL) Toxicity* Day 3 Day 4
PBS Supernate 72.3 % 0.3 100 % 94 % 98 %
lo PBS Precipitate 28.9 % 0.3 74 % 26 % 34 %
PBS Supernate 47.9 % 0.3 50 % 60 % 65 %
HC1 Supemate
PBS Supernate 52.8 % 0.3 100 % 83 % 92 %
HCI Precipitate
is NH4OH Supemate 50.2 % 0.3 92 % 93 % 97 %
HC1 Precipitate
* Toxicity in % of control proliferation.
Activity in % suppression of HIV proliferation based on viral
20 protein p24 level.
The results clearly evidence that the active component of AD2-WI is soluble in
PBS
at pH 7.2 and 1% NH4OH solution at pH 10.4 and is precipitable by acid. The
PBS
25 supemate of AD2-WI is very active (94% suppression on day 3 and 98%
suppression on day
4 at 0.3 mg/mL) while the PBS precipitate is marginally active (26%
suppression on day 3
and 34% suppression on day 4 at 0.3 mg/mL). This is consistent with the
observed activity of
the AD2-WI whose active component had to be solubilized in the neutral cell
culture medium
for the anti-HIV assay.
30 The active component of AD2-Wl was reprecipitated with HCI. The HCI
precipitate
of the PBS supernate of AD2-WI was fairly active (83% suppression on day 3 and
92%
suppression on day 4 at 0.3 mg/mL) while the HCI supernate was moderately
active (60%
suppression on day 3 and 65% suppression on day 4 at 0.3 mg/mL). The moderate
activity of
the HC1 supernate may be partially due to the cytotoxicity (50% of control
proliferation). The
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acid precipitability of the active component of AD2-WI was further confirmed
by the HCI
precipitate of the NH4OH supernate of AD2-WI which was very active (93%
suppression on
day 3 and 97% suppression on day 4 at 0.3 mg/mL).
From this information, it can be concluded that the active component of
No.5(5)E-A
is soluble in neutral or basic solutions and precipitable by acids such as
HCI. Acetic acid,
which is only able to bring the solution pH down to around 3.4 to 3.8, is not
strong enough to
cause precipitation of the active component. That means the active component
in its acid
form is stronger than acetic acid and weaker than hydrochloric acid. When
neutralized with a
base, such as NH4OH, the active insoluble acid becomes a water soluble salt,
which is also
io active against HIV.
More of the active component was prepared by acid precipitation from the water
eluate No.5(5)E-A "as is" or the water extracts of freeze dried No.5(5)E-A by
titration with
1% HC1. The acid precipitate was washed with water and freeze dried. The
freeze dried acid
precipitate was further purified by dissolving in 0.1 N ammonium bicarbonate
(NH4HCO3)
is and reprecipitating it with 1.5 times volume of 1% HCI in water. For
example, a 520.8 mg
sample was completely solubilized in 20 mL of 0.1 N NH4HCO3. The solution was
centrifuged at 2,000 rpm for 22 min and the supernate was filtered through a
0.45- m filter.
An aliquot of the solution was diluted with 0.1 N NH4HCO3 to 20.0 mL at 19.7
mg/mL,
which was then acidified with 30.0 mL 1% HCI in water and formed a dark brown
fluffy
20 suspension and precipitate. The acidified solution was centrifuged at 2,000
rpm for 22
minutes. The acid supemate was decanted and discarded. The acid precipitate
was washed
with 30 to 45 mL of 1% HCl in water six times. The acid washes were each
separated from
the precipitate by centrifuge at 2,000 rpm for 22 minutes and discarded. The
once purified
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acid precipitate (AP1X) was freeze dried and tested for anti-HIV activity. The
result showed
that the APIX of No.5(5)E-A remained active: 75% suppression on day 3 and 87%
suppression on day 4 at 0.31 mg/mL. That is, the anti-HIV activity survived
the purification
process.
s 2. No.5(5)E-C
Since the active component of No.5(5)E-A was identified to be the one soluble
in
neutral and basic solutions and precipitable by HCI, it was logical to see
whether the active
component of No.5(5)E-C possessed similar characteristics.
The air-dried No.5(5)E-C contained two distinct colored solids, one brown and
one
dark brown to near black. A solubility test was conducted by mixing 1.1-1.2 mg
of the
sample in one (1) mL of each solvent tested. The air-dried No.5(5)E-C was
insoluble in
ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, acetonitrile, chloroform, and hexane. It was
slightly soluble in
methanol and partially soluble in water, 1% HCI in water, I% HCI in ethanol,
and 0.1 % HCI
is in 10% ethanol/90% water. It was mostly solubilized in PBS, 0.1 N NH4HCO3,
1% NH4OH,
and 1% NaOH in water with a small amount of off-white suspension or
precipitate. The
solubility appeared to progressively increase with the solution pH from acidic
to neutral to
slightly basic, and then decrease in a strong base like 1% NaOH in water.
The one-mL solutions of air-dried No.5(5)E-C in water, PBS, 0.1 N NH4HCO3, 1%
NH4OH, and 1% NaOH were each 0.45- m filtered and acidified with 1.5 mL 1% HCl
in
water. All acidified solutions became yellowish brown to brown solutions and
formed brown
fluffy precipitates, except the acidified water solution in which no
precipitate was observed.
In addition, the one-mL solutions of the air dried No.5(5)E-C in 1% HCI/water
and
1% HCI/ethanol were each 0.45- m filtered and mixed with 1.5 mL 1% NaOH to
make the
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solution alkaline. The purpose was to see if these solutions contained
insoluble bases. The
alkalinated l% HCl/water solution became a yellow-clear solution and the
alkalinated 1%
HCI/ethanol solution became yellowish-brown to brown solution. Both formed
some golden
brown fluffy precipitate after overnight storage in a refrigerator. The brown
one-mL solution
of No.5(5)E-C in 0. l% HCU10% ethanol/90% water was also alkalinated the same
way but
with 1.5 mL of 1% NH4OH. The brown solution became a light yellow clear
solution upon
alkalination. Precipitate did not form afler overnight refrigerated storage.
The results
indicate that acidic and basic substances may be separated from No.5(5)E-C by
precipitation
with a strong acid and a strong base, respectively.
An 100.4 mg air dried sample of No.5(5)E-C was dissolved in 20.0 mL 0.1 N
NH4HC03. The solution was centrifuged at 2,000 rpm for 20 min and the supemate
was
transferred into a separate 50-mL centrifuge tube. The precipitate was
extracted with 15.0
mL 0.1 N NH4HCO3 two more times. The supernates were pooled (total 50 mL). The
precipitate was washed one more time with 15 mL 0.1 N NH4HCO3. The wash was
separated
by centrifuge at 2,000 rpm for 30 min and discarded. The precipitate was
transferred into a
WISP glass vial with 1 to 2 mL of water, nitrogen dried, and weighed 0.5 mg
after drying, or
0.5% of the air dried No.5(5)E-C starting material.
The supemate was filtered through a 0.45- m filter. Two 20.0 mL aliquots of
the
filtered supernate were pipetted into two 50-mL centrifuge tubes. The first 20-
mL aliquot
was acidified with 30 mL 1% HCI in water and formed a fluffy precipitate. The
second
20-mL aliquot was made alkaline with 30 mL 1% NaOH. The alkalinated solution
remained
clear and with no visible suspension or precipitate after overnight
refrigerated storage. The
alkalination solution also remained clear after being centrifuged at 2,000 rpm
for 30 minutes
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or concentrated from 50 mL to 14 mL and then centrifuged. Addition of an
additional 20 mL
1 N NaOH, to assure that the solution was alkaline (pH 13.23 at 22.5 C), did
not produce any
visible precipitate.
The acidified solution was centrifuged at 2,000 rpm for 30 minutes to separate
the
fluffy acid precipitate. The acid precipitate was washed with 20 mL l% HCl in
water three
times. Each wash was separated by centrifuge at 2,000 rpm for 30 minutes and
discarded.
The washed acid precipitate was freeze dried, tested for anti-HIV activity,
and found active:
76% suppression on both day 3 and day 4 at 0.3 mg/mL.
The air dried No.5(5)E-C was fractionated again by directly dissolving it in
1% HCl
20 in water to prepare the acid precipitable active component. The acid
supemate was made
alkaline to prepare the base precipitable component. A 203.8 mg air dried
No.5(5)E-C
sample was dissolved in 20 mL l% HCI in water by vortexing the suspension for
one (1)
minute three times. The acid soluble portion was separated from the acid
insoluble by
centrifuge at 2,000 rpm for 30 min. The acid supemate (reddish brown solution)
was filtered
is through a 0.22- m filter. A 2.00 mL aliquot of the acid supemate was
nitrogen dried and
weighed 12.2 mg, or 59.9% of the air dried No.5(5)E-C starting material. The
remaining 18
mL of the acid supemate was alkalinated with 7.5 mL of I N NaOH. Precipitate
formed after
cooling in a refrigerator for about 5 minutes. The base precipitate was
separated from the
base supemate by centrifuge at 2,000 rpm for 60 minutes. The base supemate was
filtered
20 through a 0.22- m filter and neutralized with 5.0 mL of 1% HCI in water to
pH 3.7 (clear
brown solution). A 3.00 mL aliquot of the neutralized base supernate was
nitrogen dried and
weighed 54.5 mg.
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The acid insoluble fraction of air dried No.5(5)E-C was washed with 20 mL 1%
HCl
in water twice. The base precipitate was washed with 20 mL 1% NaOH once. The
washed
acid insoluble fraction and the base precipitate were freeze dried and weighed
66.6 mg and
18.6 mg, respectively, or 32.7% and 10.1% of the air dried No.5(5)E-C.
s The dried acid insoluble fraction, acid soluble fraction, base precipitate,
and
neutralized base supernate were tested for anti-HIV activities along with the
starting material,
air dried No.5(5)E-C. The results are shown in Table 12, which also shows the
% weight of
each fraction of No.5(5)E-C.
TABLE 12
Anti-HIV Activities Of Air Dried No.5(5)E-C Fractions
No.5(5)E-C Test Level nti-HIYActivitv*
Fractions % Wt (mg/mL) Toxicity** Day 3 Day 4
No.5(5)E-C 100 % 0.31 89% 78 % 76 %
Acid Insoluble 32.7 % 0.30 91 % 84 % 85 %
Acid Soluble 59.9 % 0.31 92 % 12 % 19 %
Base Precipitate 10.1 % 0.31 90 % 16 % 20%
Base Supernate*** 57.9% 0.30 99% 12% 10%
* Activity in % inhibition of HIV proliferation based on viral protein p24
level. The data were
repeated results using sample solutions stored frozen for three months.
** Toxicity in % of control proliferation.
*** Neutralized with 1% HCI in water to pH 3.7 and nitrogen dried. The %
weight shown
excluded NaCI. The test sample contained 19.5 % of No.5(5)E-C fraction.
The results clearly demonstrated that the acid insoluble fraction contained
the main
active component of the air-dried No.5(5)E-C. The acid insoluble fraction was
fairly active:
84% suppression on day 3 and 85% suppression on day 4 at 0.30 mg/mL. The acid
soluble
fraction was only marginally active: 12% suppression on day 3 and 19%
suppression on day 4
at 0.31 mg/mL. Both the base precipitate and base supernate of the acid
soluble fraction of
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No.5(5)E-C were also marginally active: 12 to 16% on day 3 and 10 to 20% on
day 4 at 0.30
to 0.31 mg/mL.
It is therefore concluded that the active component of No.5(5)E-C, like that
of
No.5(5)E-A, is also soluble in neutral to slightly basic solutions but
insoluble in strong acid
solutions.
3. N-Q.5(5)F-
Since the active components of both the main active C18-SPE-LC fractions A and
C
of No.5(5)E (Tab)e 7) have similar solubility properties (soluble in neutral
to basic solutions
and precipitable in a strong acid), the main active components of No.5(5)E can
thus be
prepared by direct acid precipitation from the water extract of No.5(5). The
acid precipitate
can be further purified by redissolution in 0.1 N NH4HCO3 and reprecipitation
with
hydrochloric acid one or more times. The NH4HCO3 solution of the acid
precipitate was
filtered through a 0.22- m or 0.45- m filter once during one of the
purification cycles to
remove residual insoluble particles.
A six (6) times purified acid precipitate of No.5(5)E, or No.5(5)E-AP6X, was
tested
for anti-HIV activity and found to remain very active, 99% suppression on day
3 and 97%
suppression on day 4 at 0.25 mg/mL, as shown in Table 13. Where, the anti-HIV
activities of
No.5(5) and Raw No.5(5)E are shown for comparison. The percent (%) yield of
No.5(5)E-AP6X from two determinations is also listed.
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TABLE 13
Anti-HIV Activities Of Water Extractable (E), Acid Precipitable (AP), And Acid
Soluble (AS)
Fractions Of No.4(2). No.4(3). No.441. No.4f5l- No.5(1). NQ,5(4)No. 0),
Na.5(8) N. o.51111. G. H
Anti-141}Activihr*
Sample Lot % Yield** Test Level Toxicity*** Day 3 Day 4
No.4(2) 1 100'/0 2.5 mg/mL 74-84% 92% 94%
No.4(2)E 1 23.7% 0.5 mg/mL 68% 62% 0%
No.4(2)E-AP 1 0.39% 0.1 mg/mL 100% 83% 83%
No.4(2)E=AS 1 23.3% 0.25 mg/mL 69-90% 0% 0%
No.4(3) 1 100% 2.5 mg/mL 75-78% 100% 100%
No.4(3)E 1 55.3% 0.5 mg/mL 92% 97% 89%
No.4(4) 1 100% 2.5 mg/mL 74-100% 100% 100%
No.4(4)E 1 22.0% 0.5 mg/mL 67% 100% 100%
No.4(4)E-AP 1 2.1% 0.1 mg/mL 69% 85% 95%
No.4(4)E-AS 1 19.9% 0.25 mglmL 75-100% 91% 82%
No.4(5) 1 100% 2.5 mg/mL 41-79% 98% 92%
No.4(5)E 1 21.90/. 0.5 mg/mL 97 % 57% 5%
No.4(5)E-AP 1 0.19% 0.3 mg/mL 86-94% 86% 80%
No,4(5)E-AS 1 21.70/. 0.25 mg/mL 91-96% 4% 1%
No.5(1) 1 100% 2.5 mg/mL 98% 73% 50%
No.5(1)E 1 17.4f0.3% 0.5 mg/mL 100% 37% 0%
No.5(1)E-AP 1 0.30% 0.3 mg/mL 85-94% 62% 74%
No.5(4) 1 100% 2.5 mg/mL 64% 100% 100%
No.5(4)E 1 12.8t1.6% 0.5 mg/mL 85% 52% 0%
No.5(5) 1 100% 2.5 mg/mL 80-84% 93% 93%
Raw No.5(5)E 1 18.7f2.8% 1.0 mg/mL 99% 91% 97%
No.5(5)E-AP6X 2 1.6f0.1% 0.25 mg/mL 63-98% 99% 97%
3 o No.5(8) 1 100% 2.5 mg/mL 32-59% 100'/0 100%
No.5(8)E 1 22.3f3.1% 0.5 mg/mL 69% 2% 24%
No.5(8)E-AP 1- 0.26% 0.1 mg/mL 100% 45% 61%
No.5(11) 1 100% 2.5 mg/mL 100% 92% 74%
No.5(11)E 1 53.8% 2.0 mg/mL 74-94% 87% 73%
No.5(11)-AP 1 4.36% 0.3 mg/mL 73-100% 91% 87o/u
No.5(11)-AS 1 49.4% 0.5 mg/mL 100% 84% 65%
GE-AP 1 1.0% 0.30 mg/mL 33% 100'/0 100%
GE-AP6X 1 0.50% 0.25 mg/mL 66-93oJa 100% 99%
HE-AP 1 -- 0.30 mg/mL 83% 85% 88%
1-iE-AS 1 -- 0.25 mg/mL 87-91% 24% 0%
HE-AP1X 2 0.30f0.06 % 0.25 mg/mL 93-100% 95% 90%
* Activity in % inhibition of HIV proliferation based on viral protein p24
level.
** From single determinations, except those with * standard deviations were
from 2 to 3
determinations.
*** Toxicity in % of control proliferation.
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4. GE
The source plant G of No.5(5) was tested to see whether the same acid
precipitable
anti-HIV active component can be isolated directly from the plant. Dried plant
G was
purchased from a local herbal store in Taiwan. A 100.8 g sample was extracted
"as is" with
water twice by boiling the whole dried plant in 2,900 mL water for 75-76
minutes each time.
The first (-500 mL after evaporation) and the second (-120 mL after
evaporation) extracts
were separated respectively from the residue by decantation and filtered
through a Whatman
No. 4 filter paper. The first extract was acidified with 400 mL 1% HCl in
water and the
io second extract was acidified with 145 mL 1% HCI in water. Precipitate
formed in both
acidified extracts (pH 1.5 for the first and 1.4 for the second). The acid
precipitate (dark near
black solid) was separated from the acid supernate (dark reddish-brown
solution) by
centrifuge at 2,000 rpm for 30 minutes.
Part of the acid precipitate of the first extract was washed with about 30 mL
1% HCI
is in water; then the inside wall of the 50-mL centrifuge tube was rinsed with
about 15 mL
water. The acid wash and the water rinse were separated from the acid
precipitate by
centrifuge at 2,000 rpm for 30 minutes and discarded. The acid precipitate was
nitrogen dried
(GE-AP), tested for anti-HIV activity and found very active: 100 % suppression
on both day
3 and day 4 at 0.30 mg/mL (Table 13). However, the GE-AP is cytotoxic at this
level, 33%
20 of control, and needs to be further purified to reduce the cytotoxicity.
Additional extractions with boiling water were conducted with dried plant
chips
which were cut to approximately _< 1 cm long. The percent (%) of extractables
from the dried
plant chips determined from two lots of the plant were from 21 to 27%. The
water extracts
from the chipped samples were acidified with HCI to produce acid precipitates
which were
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then purified up to six cycles of dissolution and precipitation as described
above for
No.5(5)E-AP6X. The six (6) times purified GE-AP6X was tested for anti-HIV
activity and
found as active as No.5(5)E-AP6X, as shown in Table 13. GE-AP6X exhibited 100%
suppression of HIV proliferation on day 3 and 99% suppression on day 4 at 0.25
mg/mL,
s while No.5(5)E-AP6X exhibited 99% suppression on day 3 and 97% suppression
on day 4 at
the same level. Cytotoxicity test also showed close similarity between the two
active
components, 66-93% of control proliferation for GE-AP6X and 63-98% for
No.5(5)E-AP6X
at the same 0.25 mg/mL.
5. HE
Plant H (Dichondra micrantha) was originally thought to be the source plant of
the
single-herb herbal medicine No.5(5), since the plant has a Chinese trivial
name the same as
that of the herbal medicine No.5(5). See H. C. Chang, Medicinal Herbs 11,
Holiday
Publishing Co., Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C., 27 (1991). Plant H was thus subjected
to the same
water extraction and acid precipitation as for plant G described above.
Dried whole plants of Dichondra micrantha (H) were extracted with boiling
water as
that described above for the extraction of plant G. The water extract was
filtered and
acidified with HCl and a precipitate formed. The acid precipitate (HE-AP) and
the acid
supernate (HE-AS) were tested for anti-HIV activities. The results clearly
demonstrate that
the acid precipitate HE-AP is the active component of the plant H water
extract, the same
situation as that for plant G and No.5(5), as shown in Table 13.
The acid precipitate HE-AP exhibited good anti-HIV activity: 85% suppression
on
day 3 and 88% suppression on day 4 at 0.30 mg/mL. The acid supemate HE-AS was
not
active: 24% suppression on day 3 and 0% suppression on day 4 at 0.25 mg/mL. A
one (1)
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time purified acid precipitate HE-AP1X from a second lot was also tested as
active: 95%
suppression on day 3 and 90% suppression on day 4 at 0.25 mg/mL (Table 13).
The samples
were not toxic at the test levels, 83% of control proliferation for HE-AP, 93
to 100% of
control for HE-AP 1 X, and 87 to 91 % of control for HE-AS.
6. No.4(2). No.4(3). No.4(4), No.4(5). No.5(1). No.5(4) and No. (81
Since the active components of No.5(5) and plants G and H are all extractable
by
water and precipitable by acid, it is logical to see whether the active
components of the other
anti-HIV active single-herb herbal medicines have similar properties. The
active herbal
io medicines were therefore checked to see whether they contained acid
precipitable
components and, if they did, whether these components were active.
A 5.0 g sample of each single-herb herbal medicine No.4(2), No.4(3), No.4(4),
No.4(5), No.5(1), No.5(4) and No.5(8) was extracted with about 40 mL water
twice in a
50-mL plastic centrifuge tube. Each extract was separated from the insoluble
material by
.15 centrifuge at 2,000 rpm for 40 to 120 minutes. The first and second
extracts of each sample
were combined and then filtered through a 0.22-Nm filter. A 2.00 mL aliquot of
each extract
was nitrogen dried and weighed. The remaining extract of each sample was
acidified with 10
mL 1% HCI in water. Precipitates formed in all acidified extracts, except
those of No.4(3)
and No.5(4). No precipitate formed in the acidified extract of No.4(3), even
after prolonged
20 (9 hrs) storage in a refrigerator and addition of 10 mL more 1% HCI in
water. The acidified
extract of No.5(4) showed only cloudiness and formed a trace precipitate after
centrifuge at
2,000 rpm for 20 minutes.
Each acid precipitate was separated from its supernate by centrifuge at 2,000
rpm for
20 minutes. Each acid precipitate was washed with 5 mL 1% HCI in water. The
acid wash
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was separated by centrifuge at 2,000 rpm for 20 minutes and discarded. Each
acid precipitate
was nitrogen dried and weighed.
Each acid supemate was combined with 10 mL more 1% HCI in water. After being
stored for four (4) days at ambient temperature, precipitates formed again in
various degrees
in all further acidified supernates, except that of No.4(3). Each acid
supernate was separated
from the precipitate by centrifuge at 2,000 rpm for 80 minutes, filtered
through a 0.22- m
filter, and air dried. Each dried acid supernate was redissolved in 0.1 N
NH4HCO3,
transferred into a WISP glass vial, and freeze dried.
The dried water extracts (E), acid precipitates (AP), and acid supemates (AS)
of
No.4(2), No.4(4) and No.4(5) were tested for anti-HIV activities. The water
extracts (E) and
acid precipitates (AP) of No.5( l) and No.5(8) were also tested. As No.4(3)
did not have acid
precipitate and No.5(4) had only a minute amount of acid precipitate (0.3 mg),
only their
water extracts (E) were tested for anti-HIV activities. The results are shown
in Table 13.
The results show that the water extracts (E) of No.4(3) and No.4(4) remain
very
active: 97% suppression on day 3 and 89% suppression on day 4 for No.4(3)E and
I00%
suppression on both day 3 and day 4 for No.4(4)E at 0.5 mg/mL. The activities
of the water
extracts (E) of No.4(2), No.4(5), No.5(1), No.5(4) and No.5(8), however, were
surprisingly
low: 2 to 62% suppression on day 3 and 0 to 24% suppression on day 4 at the
same test level
0.5 mg/mL. As a comparison, the original herbal medicine powders have moderate
to very
good activities: 73 to 100% suppression on day 3 and 50 to 100% suppression on
day 4 at 2.5
mg/mL.
Even more surprising, all acid precipitates (AP) exhibited moderate to good
anti-HIV
activities: 83% suppression on both day 3 and day 4 for No.4(2)E-AP, 85 %
suppression on
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day 3 and 95% suppression on day 4 for No.4(4)E-AP, 86% suppression on day 3
and 80%
suppression on day 4 for No.4(5)E-AP, 62% suppression on day 3 and 74%
suppression on
day 4 for No.5(1)E-AP, and 45 % suppression on day 3 and 61% suppression on
day 4 for
No.5(8)E-AP at 0.1 to 0.3 mg/mL. The acid supemate (AS) of No.4(4)E was fairly
active,
s 91 % suppression on day 3 and 82% suppression on day 4 at 0.25 mg/mL. The
acid
supemates (AS) of No.4(2)E and No.4(5)E were practically inactive: 0 to 4%
suppression on
day3 and0to 1%onday4at0.25mg/mL.
Since the water extracts (E) of No.4(2), No.4(5), No.5(1), No.5(4) and No.5(8)
are
much less active than their original powders and the acid precipitates (AP) of
No.4(2),
No.4(5), No.5(1) and No.5(8) are fairly aetive, it is therefore hypothesized
that the majority of
the active components of these powders may not have been effectively extracted
into water
(pH 4.0 to 5.1). Adjustment of the solution pH to neutral or slightly alkaline
is expected to
help improve the extraction.
It is concluded that the active components of No.4(2) and No.4(5) are
precipitable by
is acid. The active component of No.4(3) is soluble in both water and acid.
No.4(4) contains
two active components, one acid soluble and one acid precipitable. No.5(1) and
No.5(8)
contain acid precipitable active components.
7. No.51111
The single-herb components No.5(10) and No.5(11) were included in the herb
mixture
HHT888-5 for treating HBV carriers (See Example 3). Both No. 5(10) and No.
5(11) were
not included in the earlier anti-EMuLV and anti-HIV screening tests to prevent
their potential
interference with the antiviral assays
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The above discoveries show that all the acid precipitable components or acid
precipitates isolated from the single-herb herbal medicines and medicinal
plants No.4(2),
No.4(4), No.4(5), No.5(1), No.5(5), No.5(8) and H are anti-HIV active. It is
therefore
projected that acid precipitable components or acid precipitates, if any,
isolated from other
herbal medicines or plants will also be anti-HIV active.
To test the hypothesis, the single-herb herbal medicines No.5(10) and No.5(11)
are
extracted with water and their water extracts are acidified with HCl to see if
acid precipitates
will form. 90.4 g sample of No.5(10) was extracted with twenty (20) times
water (1804 to
1808 mL) at ambient temperature twice, followed by extraction with 900 mL 0.1
N
NH4HCO3 once. 90.8 g sample ofNo.5(11) was extracted with ten (10) times water
(908
mL) at ambient temperature twice, followed by extraction with 870 mL 0.1 N
NH4HCO3
once. The extractions were conducted in a 2000-mL glass Erlenmeyer flask and
stirred
magnetically for one (1) hour to ovemight. The extract was separated from the
insoluble by
centrifuge at 8,000 rpm for 40 minutes.
ls When 1.0 mL of extract was acidified with 1.5 mL of 1% HCl in water, the
two water
extracts and the NH4HCO3 extract ofNo.5(10) showed no visible precipitates
even after
overnight refrigerated storage. The first water extract of No.5(11) became
brown and formed
precipitate almost immediately. The second water extract of No.5(11) became
light yellowish
and slightly opaque, and forrned a small amount of precipitate after ovemight
storage at
ambient temperature. The NH4HCO3 extract of No.5(l 1) became nearly colorless
and with
white colloidal precipitate. It was predicted that No.5(11) and its acid
precipitate were likely
anti-HIV active.
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A 10.0 mL aliquot of each extract was freeze dried and weighed. The total
extractable
of No.5(10) was 66.3%. That of No.5(11) was 53.8%. Most of the extractable of
No.5(10)
was extracted by the two water extractions which constituted 97.9=/a of the
total extractable.
Most of the extractable of No.5(11) was extracted in the first water
extraction (93.5%). The
s second water extraction was necessary for No.5(10), which constituted 31.2%
of the total
extractable. For No.5(11), the second water extraction and the NH4HCO3
extraction
constituted only 5.4% and 1.1 %, respectively.
The remaining 868 mL of the first water extract, 898 mL of the second water
extnact,
and 828 mL of the NH4HCO3 extract of No.5(11) were acidified with 14.6, 14.6,
and 13.4 mL
io of concentrated HCl (37%), respectively. The acidified first water extract
formed precipitate
almost immediately. The acidified 2nd water extract and NH4HCO3 extract became
cloudy
and formed precipitate after overnight refrigerated storage. The acid
precipitate (AP) of each
acidified extract was separated from its acid supernate (AS) by centrifuge at
2,000 rpm for 40
minutes. The acid supernates of the first and the second water extracts were
pooled in a
15 2000-mL glass Erlenmeyer flask. A 200 mL sample of each of the acid
supernates from the
acidified water extracts and NH4HCO3 extract was centrifuged at 8,000 rpm for
40 minutes
and filtered through a 0.22-mm filter. A 20.0 mL of each micro-filtered acid
supernate was
nitrogen dried, redissolved in water, and freeze dried.
The acid precipitates of No.5(11)E from the acidified first and second water
extracts
20 and the acidified NH4HCO3 extract were rinsed with about 20 to 40 mL water
twice. The
water rinses were separated by centrifuge at 2,000 rpm for 40 minutes and
discarded. The
acid precipitates were freeze dried and weighed. The percent (%) yield of the
acid precipitate
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was 4.36% of No.5(11). Most (96.3%) of the acid precipitate was isolated from
the original
powder by the first water extraction.
No.5(10), No.5(11), the water extract of No.5(10) or No.5(10)E, the first
water extract
of No.5(11) or No.5(11)E, the acid precipitate from the acidified first water
extract of
No.5(l 1) or No.5(11)E-AP, and the acid supemate from the acidified pooled
first and second
water extracts of No.5(I 1) or No.5(11)E-AS were tested for anti-HIV
activities. The results
(Table 13) show that No.5(10) and its water extract No.5(10)E are essentially
not active: 65%
suppression on day 3 and 0% suppression on day 4 for No.5(10) at 2.5 mg/mL and
0%
suppression on both day 3 and day 4 for No.5(10)E at 2.0 mg/mL. No.5(11), its
water extract
No.5(11)E, and the acid supernate No.5(1l)E-AS are moderately active: 92%
suppression on
day 3 and 74% suppression on day 4 for No.5(11) at 2.5 mg/mL; 87% suppression
on day 3
and 73% suppression on day 4 for No.5(11)E at 2.0 mg/mL; and 84% suppression
on day 3
and 65% suppression on day 4 for No.5(1 l)E-AS at 0.5 mg/mL. The acid
precipitate
No.5(11)E-AP is again fairly active: 91 % suppression on day 3 and 87%
suppression on day
4 at 0.3 mg/mL.
The results show that No.5(1 l) contains two active components, one is soluble
in acid
and one is precipitable by acid. Both active components are extractable from
No.5(11) by
water. This supports an additional aspect of the invention, that being all
acid precipitable
components or acid precipitates from selected plants as recited in this
application, and
possibly any plant, are effective pharmaceutical agents.
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EXAMPLE 10
jsolation Of Active Comngnents
Active components have been isolated from either conunercial extract powders
or the
plants by extraction with water. Preferably, the amount of water to dried
plant material can
range from 5 to ] 0 times (w/v) and at least two extractions are conducted.
The pH of the
extraction solution is preferably adjusted with an alkaline solution, such as
a NaOH, to
neutral or slightly alkaline, (7 to 8) to facilitate the extraction. The
extraction may be
io conducted at either ambient temperature (commercial powders) or boiling
(chipped or
pulverized plants) for one hour or longer.
The soluble extract can be separated from the insoluble plant material by
filtration
(i.e., nylon screen and filter paper) or by centrifuge (2,000 to 8,000 rpm for
40 minutes or
longer). The extract is then acidified with any strong acid, such as HCl
(approximately 0.6%
is final concentration or solution pH <_ 2) to produce the active acid
precipitate. The acid
precipitate can be separated by centrifuge such as at 8,000 rpm for 40 minutes
or longer. The
precipitate can be purified by repetitive cycles of dissolution in neutral or
alkaline solution
such as 0.1 N NH4HCO3 and subsequent precipitation in acid. The insolubles can
be
removed by centrifuge (such as at 8,000 rpm for 40 minutes or longer) or
microfiltration
20 (such as through 0.2 to 0.45- m filter).
The purified acid precipitate can be freeze dried, nitrogen dried, or air
dried. It can
also be converted to amrnonium salt by dissolving the acid in an ammonium
solution such as
ammonium bicarbonate or ammonium hydroxide solution which is then freeze dried
or spray
dried. The purified acid precipitate can also be converted to other salts,
such as sodium salts,
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by dissolving the acid in a suitable solution, like NaHCO3. The acid
precipitate can also be
separated from the matrix by C 18 column chromatography.
Chemically related water extractable and acid precipitable anti-HIV active
components were isolated from seven (7) of the anti-HIV active single-herb
herbal medicines:
No.4(2), No.4(3), No.4(5), No.5(1), No.5(5), No.5(8), No.5(l 1) and two (2)
medicinal plants
Aeginetia indica (G) and Dichondra micrantha (H) identified in Examples 5 and
6 by the
water extraction and acid precipitation procedure described above.
As a specific example, No.4(2), No.4(3), No.4(4), No.4(5), No.5(1), No.5(4),
No.5(5),
No.5(8) and No.5(11) were prepared according to Example 2 were extracted twice
with water
at ambient temperature (about 25 C) with 8 to 10 mL of water per gram of
sample (e.g., 5 g
powder with 40 mL water or 50 g powder with 500 mL water or 100 g powder with
1000 mL
water) twice. The water suspension was mixed to extract by either vortexing
for one (1)
minute, standing for ten (10) minutes and vortexing for one (1) minute; or
stirring
magnetically for fifteen (15) minutes or longer depending on the sample size
and suspension
is volume. For example, the suspension containing 5 g powder in 40 mL water
was vortexed
for one (1) minute, stood for ten (10) minutes and vortexed again for one (1)
minute during
the extraction. The suspension containing 50 to 100 g powder in 500 to 1000 mL
water was
stirred magnetically for fifteen (15) minutes or longer during the extraction.
The water
extract was separated from the insoluble materials by centrifuge at 1,500 to
8,000 rpm for
twenty (20) to forty (40) minutes and filtration through a filter such as
Whatman No.4 filter
paper.
The medicinal plants Aeginetia indica (G) and Dichondra micrantha (H), or the
source plants of the herbal medicines No.5(5) and H, were washed with cold
water, dried,
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comininuted, and extracted with boiling water as described above in Example 2.
The water
extracts were cooled to ambient temperature and separated from the insoluble
plant materials
by decantation and filtration through a nylon screen (1.3 by 1.5 mm openings),
centrifuge at
1,500 to 8,000 rpm for twenty (20) to forty (40) minutes, and filtration again
through a
s Whatman No.4 filter paper.
The water extracts were then acidified to form precipitates through the
addition of
hydrochloric acid to a pH of <_ 2. Each acid precipitate was separated from
the acid solution
by centrifuge in plastic centrifuge tubes or bottles. Each acid precipitate
was washed at least
three times with water or 0.1 or 1% hydrochloric acid. Samples of the water
extract, acid
precipitate (acid insoluble component) and acid supernate (acid soluble
component) of each
of the samples were nitrogen dried, air dried or freeze dried. These samples
were then
subjected to further testing and characterization.
The purified acid precipitates No.5(5)F.-AP1X, No.5(5)E-AP6X, GE-AP1X,
GE-AP2X, GE-AP6X, HE-AP 1 X, HE-AP6X, No.4(2)E-AP 1 X, No.5(8)E-AP 1X,
1s No.5(11)E-AP1X, and their ammonium salts No.5(5)E-APIX-NH4, GE-AP2X-NH4,
HE-APIX-NH4, No.5(8)E-AP 1 X-NH4, No.5(11)E-AP1 X-NH4 and No.4(2)E-AP 1 X-NH4
were thus prepared as described above. The nomenclature used herein and in the
claims can
be illustrated by the following: No.5(5)E-APIX means single herb medicine
No.5(5) derived
from Aeginelia indica that was water extracted (E), acid precipitated (AP) and
purified once
(1X) by re-dissolution in neutral or alkaline solution and re-precipitation
with acid to result in
the final chemical entity designated No.5(5)E-APIX.
For example, No.5(5)E-AP 1 X-NH4 was prepared by first washing 4.0 to 4.9 g
No.5(5)E-AP1X in 50-mL centrifuge tubes, respectively, with about 40 mL water
four times.
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The water washes were separated by centrifuge at 2,000 rpm for 40 minutes and
discarded.
The water washed APIX's were freeze dried (total 11.4 g) and then dissolved in
about 600
mL 0.1 to 0.2 N NH4HCO3. The solution was centrifuged at 2,000 rpm for 40
minutes and
the supernate was filtered through a 0.45- m filter under vacuum. The filtrate
was freeze
dried and thus was prepared No.5(5)E-APIX-NH4.
GE-AP2X-NH4 was prepared by dissolving 690.8 mg GE-AP2X in 20.0 mL 0.2 N
NH4HCO3. The solution was centrifuged at 8,000 rpm for 40 minutes. No
precipitate was
observed. The supernate was filtered through a 0.22- m filter. The filtrate
was freeze dried
and thus was prepared GE-AP2X-NH4.
lo The other samples were prepared in similar fashion.
EXAMPLE 11
hara t azation Of Active Components
1, No.5(5) Active Com onen c
No.5(5)E-A-AP and No.5(5)E-C-AP, were previously identified to be the active
component of No.5(5). It appears that these compounds are homologous polymeric
organic
acids based on their solubilities, HPSEC, C 18-SPE-LC, and elemental analyses.
Both acids
have similar properties, except the molecular weight distribution and
retention on C18
column. Both acids are insoluble in acid aqueous solutions but become soluble
as salts in
neutral and basic aqueous solutions. They are stable to air, heat, acid, weak
alkali, and
common organic solvents.
Elemental analysis of a six times purified acid precipitate No.5(5)E-AP6X as
shown
in Table 14 shows a high carbon content (50.98%) and a low ash content
(2.35%). This
indicates that No.5(5)E-AP6X is an organic acid. The SEM (Scanning Electron
Microscopy)
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x-ray surface elemental analysis of No.5(5)E-AP6X indicated the presence of
carbon, oxygen,
phosphorus, chlorine, and sulfur. No arsenic, lead, mercury or iron was
detected.
No.5(5)E-AP6X and its components No.5(5)E-A-AP and No.5(5)E-C-AP, however, are
all
insoluble in common organic solvents, including ethanol, isopropanol, acetone,
acetonitrile,
chlorofonn, and hexane. No.5(5)E-A-AP is also insoluble in methanol. This
indicates that
these active acid precipitates are not simple organic acids.
TABLE 14
P_.l mentAl Analysis And Ash Contents of Six Times Purified Acid Preci i Atpc
(AP6X) of No.5(5)E. GE and HE
io
Sample %C %H %N %S %CI %P %Ash
No.5(5)E-AP6X 50.98 4.92 3.69 0.14 4.69 <0.05 2.35
GE-AP6X 46.47 5.32 5.19 1.21 4.80 0.98 0.60
~ s HE-AP6X 54.69 5.20 3.52 0.66 4.22 1.18 1.99
All acid precipitates (AP) investigated are slightly soluble in water at a
slow
dissolution rate. All become more soluble and at a more rapid rate in a
mixture of water and
ethanol, such as water to ethanol at a ratio of 40 to 60 by volume. This
indicates that the acid
20 precipitates are of polymeric nature as supported by the HPSEC analysis.
Figure 1 shows the HPSEC profile at UV profile at 214 nm of No.5(5)E-A-AP1X,
and
Figure 2 shows that of No.5(5)E-C-AP. The column used for the HPSEC analysis
was a
Varian MicroPak TSKgel-G3000 PWXL column (7.8 nun ID x 30 cm L) with a TSK
PWxL
guard column (6.0 nun ID x 4.0 cm L). The mobile phase was 0.1 N NH4HCO3 at a
flow rate
25 of 0.80 mL/min. The samples were prepared in the mobile phase at 0.92 to
0.93 mg/mL. The
injection volume was 100 L. The results show that No.5(5)E-A-APIX contains
two UV
absorption peaks, one is smaller at a retention time of 7.55 minute and one is
larger and broad
at a retention time of 9.55 minutes. The smaller peak eluted at the leading
edge of the main
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broad peak and contains the larger molecules. There are also a few minor peaks
riding on the
tailing edge of the main broad peak. No.5(5)E-C-AP contained a main broad UV
absorption
peak at a retention time of 9.93 minute, which is similar to the main peak of
No.5(5)E-A-AP1X. However, No.5(5)E-C-AP did not have the peak containing large
molecules as that at the leading edge of the main peak of No.5(5)E-A-AP 1X.
No.5(5)E-A-APIX and No.5(5)E-C-AP were fractionated by HPSEC (high pressure
size exclusion chromatography) under the conditioris recited above using 0.1 N
NH4HCO3 as
the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.80 mL/min. Each sample was prepared in
the mobile
phase at 6.1 to 6.2 mg/mL and injected at 100 to 200 L per injection. Twenty-
four fractions
io were collected at 1.25 min. or 1.00 mL intervals for each 30-min run.
Figure 3A shows the
HPSEC UV profile at 214 nm and Figure 3B shows the RI profile of No.5(5)E-A-
APIX.
Figure 4A shows the HPSEC UV profile at 214 nm and Figure 4B shows the RI
profile of
No.5(5)E-C-AP.
The HPSEC fractions of No.5(5)E-A-AP1X contain brown fractions which peak at
Fraction 8 and coincide with the main broad peak of retention time 9.55 min on
the UV
profile (Figure 1) or 9.66 min on the RI profile (Figure 3B). The HPSEC
fractions of
No.5(5)E-C-AP also contained brown fractions which peak at Fractions 8 and 9
and coincide
with the main peak of retention time 9.93 min. on the UV profile (Figure 2) or
10.08 min. on
the RI profile (Figure 4B). One (1) mL aliquot of each of the HPSEC Fractions
6 to 14 was
analyzed by the same HPSEC system at an injection volume of 100 L. The
results show
that each fraction has a different peak retention time and the peak spread of
No.5(5)E-A-AP1X and No.5(5)E-C-AP was real. No.5(5)E-A-AP1X and No.5(5)E-C-AP
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were therefore composed of polymers or oligomers with a relatively broad
molecular weight
distribution.
An 1.30 mL aliquot of HPSEC Fractions 6 to 16 of No.5(5)E-A-APIX were nitrogen
dried individually or pooled in a WISP vial. An 1.31 mL aliquot of each of the
HPSEC
Fractions 7 to 16 of No.5(5)E-C-AP was also nitrogen dried in the same way.
The dried
samples were tested for anti-HIV activity at a level equivalent to 0.30 mg/rnL
of their
respective starting materials. No.5(5)E-A-AP 1 X was also tested concurrently
at 0.31. mg/mL.
Table 15 shows the anti-HIV activities of the HPSEC fractions of 5(5)E-A-APIX
and
No.5(5)E-C-AP along with their percent (%) weight distribution.
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TABLE 15
Anti-HIV Activities And % Weight Distribution Of HPSEC
Fractions OfNo.5151E-A-AP1X And No.5(5 - -AP
Test Jeyrl B,nti-HIV Activity*
HPSEC Fraction % Weight (mg/mL)*** Toxicity** Day 3 Day 4
No.5(5)E-A-AP1X 100 % 0.31 98 % 75 % 87 %
No.5(5)E-A-APIX-F6 8.3 % 0.03 100 % 19% 11 %
No.5(5)E-A-AP 1 X-F7 24.8 % 0.08 93 % 79 % 78 %
No.5(5)E-A-APIX-F8 33.1 % 0.1 94 % 80% 83 %
No.5(5)E-A-APIX-F9 24.8 % 0.08 100 % 73 % 69 %
No.5(5)E-A-APIX-F10 16.5 % 0.05 100% 37% 14 %
No.5(5)E-A-APiX-F11 to F12 8.3 % 0.03 100 % 13 % 21 %
No.5(5)E-A-AP I X-F 13 to F16 8.3 % 0.03 96 % 9% 15 %
No.5(5)E-C-AP-F7 8.3 % 0.03 100 10 0% 0%
No.5(5)E-C-AP-FB 16.7% 0.05 100% 95 % 85 %
No.5(5)E-C-AP-F9 16.7 % 0.05 100 % 98 % 92 %
2 o No.5(5)E-C-AP-F i 0 25.0% 0.08 100% 80% 35 %
No.5(5)E-C-AP-F11 to F12 16.7 % 0.05 100% 59% 8%
No.5(5)E-C-AP-F13 to F16 16.7% 0.05 100% 50% 0%
* Activity in % suppression of HIV proliferation based on viral protein p24
level. Anti-HIV
activity data of No.5(5)E-A-AP1 X were the repeated results using solutions
stored frozen for
three months.
Toxicity in % of control proliferation.
*** Test levels for the HPSEC fractions were equivalent to 0.30 mg/mL of the
starting material.
The results clearly indicate that the main activity of No.S(5)E-A-AP1X spreads
over
three fractions, Fractions 7 to 9, and appears to peak at the mass peak
Fraction 8 (80%
suppression on day 3 and 83% suppression on day 4 at 0.1 mg/mL). The main
activity of
No.5(5)E-C-AP also spreads over three fractions, Fractions 8 to 10, and
appears to peak at
Fractions 8 and 9 (95 to 98% suppression on day 3 and 85 to 92% suppression on
day 4 at
0.05 mg/mL. It should be noted that the mass of No.5(5)E-C-AP peaked at
Fraction 10
which, however, was only marginally active, 80% suppression on day 3 and 35%
suppression
on day 4 at 0.08 mg/mL.
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One HPSEC fraction, Fraction 8, of No.5(5)E-C-AP was found by ultrafiltration
to
contain oligomeric molecules of molecular weight between 1,000 and 3,000
dalton. Another
HPSEC fraction, Fraction 9, was found to contain polymeric molecules of
molecular weight
greater than 3,000 dalton. Fraction 9 was more lipophilic than Fraction 8,
because Fraction 9
s contained larger molecules but elutes later than Fraction 8 on the HPSEC
using 0.1 N
NH4HCO3 as the mobile phase. Both were tested comparably active: 95%
suppression on
day 3 and 85% suppression on day 4 for Fraction 8 and 91 to 98% suppression on
day 3 and
87 to 92% suppression on day 4 for Fraction 9 at 0.05 to 0.25 mg/mL.
Furthermore, a twice
chromatographically purified HPSEC Fraction 8 of No.5(5)E-C-AP exhibited a
dose response
against HIV proliferation and had an IC50 (50% inhibition concentration) of 6
g/mL on day
3 and 17 g/mL on day 4. The results are shown in Table 16. As a comparison,
the IC50 of
AZT was 3 ng/mL on day 3 and 21 ng/mL on day 4, and that of d4T was 32 riM on
day 3 and
540 nM on day 4, when tested concurrently.
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Table 16
Anti-HIV Activities Of HPSEC Fractions S And 9 Of No.5(5)E-C-AP
At Various Concentrations
Test Level Anti-HIV Activitv*
HPSEC Fraction % Wt (mg/mL) Toxicity** Day 3 Day 4
Fraction 8 (Run 1) 16.7% 0.05 100% 95 % 85 %
io Double chromatographically 10.3 % 1.0 100 % 93 % 85 %
Purified Fraction 8 (Run 2) 0.3 100 10 85 % 69 %
0.1 100% 87% 79%
0.03 100% 89% 81 %
0.01 100% 74% 32%
i s 0.003 100 % 19 % 0%
0.001 91% 3% 5%
Fraction 9 (Run 1) 16.7% 0.05 100% 98 % 92 %
Fraction 9 (Run 2) 23.6 % 0.25 80-82 % 91 % 87 %
* Activity in % suppression of H1V proliferation based on viral protein p24
level.
**Toxicity in % of control proliferation.
Figure 5A shows the HPSEC UV profile at 214 nm and Figure 5B shows the RI
2s profile of the double chromatographically purified HPSEC Fraction 8 of
No.5(5)E-C-AP.
The HPSEC Fraction 9 of No.5(5)E-C-AP was eluted slightly later than Fraction
8 and has a
similar but broader distribution and peak tailing due to nonspecific
interaction with the
column packing caused by its lipophilicity. Each fraction was further analyzed
by HPLC.
Figure 6A shows the C 18-HPLC UV profile at 214 nm of the purified HPSEC
Fraction 8 of No.5(5)E-C-AP and Figure 6B shows the HPSEC Fraction 9, using
0.1 N
NH4HCO3 containing 30 % ethanol as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.80
mL/min. The
HPLC column was a Rainin Microsorb-MV C18 column (5 pm particles, 100 A pore
size, 4.6
mm ID x 25 cm L), the samples were prepared in the mobile phase at 1.0 mg/mL,
and the
injection volume was 5 pL.
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The results show that the purified Fraction 8 (Fig. 6A) cointains a main peak
at a
retention time of 2.48 minutes and a less lipophilic peak with a retention
time of 2.24
minutes. The Fraction 9 (Fig. 6B) contains mainly a peak at a retention time
of 2.56 minutes.
The main peaks of both Fraction 8 and Fraction 9 are very similar.
The melting points, if there are any, of No.5(5)E-AP 1 X-NH4 and its purified
HPSEC
Fraction 8 were determined to be higher than 400 C. This is highly unusual as
most organic
compounds have melting points of less than 300 C.
Figure 11 shows the IR spectra of the water extractable and acid precipitable
active
component of No.5(5) in its acid form (No.5(5)E-AP6X) and Figure 12 is the
ammonium salt
form (No.5(5)E-AP6X-NH4). The samples were prepared in KBr pellets and a
Perkin Elmer
FT-IR spectrometer was used for the measurement. The absorptions of the acid
form at 1636,
1452, and 1402 cm" indicate C=C bonds. The absorption at 2362 cm"' indicates
CO (gas)
which may be a contaminant. The absorption bands between 2850-2975 cm "
indicate H-C-H
(bending). No absorption below 600-700 cm ' indicate the absence of aromatic
groups and
is the sharp peak at 698 cm" is from a calibration standard.
The finding that the water extractable and acid precipitable active component
of
No.5(5) contains lipophilic substances is further supported by the HPSEC
analyses of
No.5(5)E-AP as described below.
2. G and H Active Com nents
The active components of plants G and H behave similarly to that of No.5(5).
Both
are polymeric organic acids which are soluble in neutral and slightly basic
aqueous solutions
and precipitable by acid. Elemental analysis (Table 14 ) of six times purified
acid precipitates
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of GE and HE shows that both contain high carbon contents (46.47 to 54.69%)
and low ash
contents (0.60 to 1.99%).
Figures 7, 13 and 17 show the HPSEC UV profiles at 214 nm of the water
extractable
and acid precipitable active components of No.5(5), G and H, respectively,
using 0.3 N
s NH4HCO3 containing 30% acetonitrile as the mobile phase at a flow rate of
0.80 mL/min.
The column was a Varian MicroPak TSKgeI-G3000 PWXL column (7.8 rnm ID x 30 cm
L)
with a TSK PWxL guard column (6.0 mm ID x 4.0 cm L). The samples were prepared
in 0.3
N NH4HCO3 at 0.65 to 1.4 mg/mL. The injection volume is 100 L.
Figure 8 shows the HPSEC UV profile of the water extractable and acid
precipitable
io active component of No.5(5) in ammonium salt form, or No.5(5)E-AP I X-NH4.
Figure 14
shows that of G in ammonium salt form, or GE-AP2X-NH4. Figure 18 shows that of
H also
in ammonium salt form, or HE-APIX-NH4. The mobile phase was 0.1 N NH4HCO3 at a
flow rate of 0.80 mL/min. The column was a Varian MicroPak TSKgeI-G3000 PWXL
column
(7.8 mm ID x 30 cm L) with a TSK PWxL guard column (6.0 mm ID x 4.0 cm L). The
is samples are the ammonium salts of the active components, No.5(5)E-APIX-NH4
(Fig. 8),
GE-AP2X-NH4 (Fig. 14) and HE-APIX-NH4 (Fig. 18) which were prepared in 0.1 N
NH4HCO3 at 1.0 mg/mL. The injection volume was 50 L.
The molecular weights of the water extractable and acid precipitable active
components of No.5(5), G and H were estimated by HPSEC analysis to be mostly
between
20 1,000 and 12,000 dalton, however, and some were lower than 1,000 dalton.
Figure 9 shows the gradient RP-HPLC UV profile No. 5(5)E-APIX-NH4, Figure 15
shows that of GE-APIX-NH4 and Figure 19 shows that of HE-APIX-NH4. The column
was
PerSeptive Biosystems' POROS R2/H column (4.6 mm ID x 10 cm L). The mobile
phase
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was 0.1 N ammonium bicarbonate containing ethanol from 2% to 60% according the
gradient
described in Table 17 and at a flow rate of 2.00 mL/min. The injection volume
is 20 L.
TABLE 17
RP-HPLC Gradient
Time Solvent A/Solvent B (v/v)*
0 to 1 minute 100/0
1 to 7 minute 100/0 to 50/50, Waters concave curve 7
7 to 13 minute 50/50 to 0/100, Waters convex curve 5
13 to 20 minute 0/100
to 30 minute 100/0
15 * Solvent A = 0.1 N ammonium bicarbonate containing 2 % ethanol (v/v)
Solvent B = 0.1 N ammonium bicarbonate containing 60 % ethanol (v/v)
Figure 10 shows the UV spectra of No.5(5)E-AP6X (Fig. l 0A), GE-AP6X (Fig. l
OB)
and HE-AP6X (Fig. l OC) in ammonium bicarbonate solution with no solvent blank
for
20 correction. The three spectra are similar and all have an absorption
maximum at 204 to 206
nm.
Figure 16 shows the IR spectrum of the water extractable and acid precipitable
active
component of G in ammonium salt form (GE-AP2X-NH4) Fig. 20 shows that of HE-AP
1 X-
NH4. The samples were prepared in KBr pellets and a Perkin Elmer FT-IR
spectrometer was
used for the measurement.
3. No.4Q. No.4(3). No.4(4)., No.4(5)_ No.5(1). No.5(9) and No.5(11) Active
Components
The active components of all samples tested active were soluble in the neutral
cell
culture medium. The active components of No.4(2), No.4(5), No.5(1), No.5(8)
and No.5(1 l)
are precipitable by acid, while that of No.4(3) was not. The active component
of No.4(3) is
soluble in both water and in acid solution. The active component of No.4(4) is
also soluble in
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water. However, part of the active component of No.4(4) is precipitable by
acid and part is
not.
Figure 21 shows the HPSEC UV profiles of the water extractable and acid
precipitable active component of No.5(8) in ammonium salt form, No.5(8) E-APIX-
NH4.
s Figure 24 shows that of No.5(11)E-APIX-NH4 and Figure 27 shows that of
No.4(2)E-APIX-
NH4. The mobile phase was 0.1 N NH4HC03 as the mobile phase at a flow rate of
0.80
mL/min. The column was Varian MicroPak TSKgeI-G3000 PWxL column (7.8 mm ID x
30
cm L) with a TSK PWXL guard column (6.0 mm ID x 4.0 cm L). The samples were
prepared
in 0.1 N NH4HCO3 at 1.0 mg/mL. The injection volume was 50 L.
Figure 22 shows the gradient RP-HPLC UV profile of the No.5(8)E-APIX-NH4,
Figure 25 shows that of No.5(11)E-APIX-NH4, and Figure 28 shows that of
No.4(2)E-APIX-
NH4. The column was a PerSeptive Biosystems' POROS R2/H column (4.6 mm ID x 10
cm
L). The mobile phase was 0.1 N ammonium bicarbonate containing ethanol from 2%
to 60%
according the gradient described in Table 17 and at a flow rate of 2.00
mL/min. The injection
is volume was 20 L.
Figure 23 shows the IR spectrum of No.5(8)E-APIX-NH4 and Figure 26 shows that
of
No. 5(11)E-APIX-NH4. Figure 29 shows the IR spectrum of No.4(2)E-APIX-NH4. The
samples were prepared in KBr pellets and a Perkin Elmer FT-IR spectrometer was
used for
the measurement.
The melting point, if there is any, of No.5(8)E-APl X-NH4 is higher than 400
C.
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4. Anti-HIV Activity Dose Res=se And Toxicity
As described above, a twice chromatographically purified HPSEC Fraction 8 of
No.5(5)E-C-AP (as also specified by the HPSEC profiles in Figures 5A and B and
the
C18-HPLC profile in Figure 6A) exhibits a dose response activity against HIV
proliferation
as shown in Table 16 and has an IC50 of 6 pg/mL on day 3 and 17 g/mL on day
4. Table 18
also shows the anti-HIV activity dose responses of the water extractable and
acid precipitable
active components No.5(5)E-APIX-NH4, GE-AP2X-NH4, HE-APIX-NH4,
No.5(8)E-APIX-NH4, No.5(11)E-APIX-NH4 and No.4(2)E-APIX-NH4 in their ammonitim
salt forms. The dose responses of AZT from two different runs are listed for
comparison.
GE-AP2X-NH4 was not tested at 0.5 mg/mL because of high cytotoxicity (35% of
control proliferation) at this concentration. Its cytotoxicity persisted at
lower levels: 34% of
control proliferation at 0.25 mg/mL and 41% at 0.13 mg/mL. No.4(2)E-APIX-NH4
also
exhibited high cytotoxicity (44% of control proliferation) at 0.5 mg/mL, but
became much
less cytotoxic at lower levels: 72% of control proliferation at 0.25 mg/mL and
100% (not
cytotoxic) at 0.13 mg/mL.
No.5(5)E-AP I X-NH4 is cytotoxic towards human PBLs in vitro at 1 mg/mL or
higher: 55% of control proliferation at I mg/mL, 46% at 2 mg/mL, 11 % at 5
mg/mL, and 0%
at 10 and 20 mg/mL. No.5(5)E-AP6X exhibits a slight cytotoxicity (63% of
control
proliferation) at 0.5 mg/mL and are not toxic at 0.1 mg/mL and lower levels
(98% of control
proliferation at 0.1 mg/mL and 100% at 0.02 mg/mL). One fraction of the active
component
of No.5(5)E-AP, i.e., the chromatographically purified HPSEC Fraction 8 of
No.5(5)E-C-AP,
has been shown to be not cytotoxic: 100% of control proliferation even at 1.0
mg/mL (see
Table 16).
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The acute toxicity of No.5(5)E-AP1X NH4 was investigated. Mice were used to
determine acute toxicity and the compound was not found to be not toxic even
at a 5,000 mg
of the test substance per kilogram of the body weight (fed orally - bolus
administration).
Four groups of ten (10) male ICR mice (weighing 18 to 21 grams each) per group
were used
for the acute toxicity test. None of the forty mice were dead seventy two (72)
hours after oral
administration. The LDso of No.5(5)E-APIX-NH4 is therefore greater than 5,000
mg/kg (po,
mice, 72 hours). Furthermore, tests for effects of No.5(5)E-AP 1 X-NH4 at
5,000 mg/kg on the
central nervous system such as reflex depression, behavior depression, muscle
relaxation,
motor stimulation and autonomic nervous system of the test animals were all
negative when
observed one (1) hour and three (3) hours after the orai administration.
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TABLE 18
Anti-HIV Activity Dose Responses Of The Water Extractable And
Acid Precipitable Active Components Of No.5(5), No.5(8), No.5(11),
No.4(2). G and H In Their Ammonium Salt Forms
Test Level Anti-HIV Activitv*
Active Component (mg/mL) Toxicity** Day 3 Day 4 IC50
No.5(5)E-AP 1 X-NH4 0.5 >55 % 98 % 95 % 4.2 mg/mL
0.05 81 % 75 % (day 3)
0.005 53% 13% 16 mg/rni.
0.0005 1 % 0% (day 4)
GE-AP2X-NH4 0.05 >41 % 100% 96 % 7.2 mg/mL
0.005 40% 8% (day 3)
1 s 0.0005 6% 0% 20 mg/mL
0.00005 3% 0% (day 4)
HE-AP 1 X-NH4 0.5 100 % 92 % 95 % 8.7 mg/mL
0.05 >89 % 87 % 95 % (day 3)
0.005 33% 23% 8.3 mg/mL
0.0005 4% 0% (day 4)
No.5(8)E-APIX-NH4 0.5 77 % 99 % 100 % 9.5 mg/mL
0.05 100% 91 % 92 % (day 3)
0.005 30% 16% 10 mg/mL
0.0005 0% 0% (day 4)
No.5(11)E-APIX-NH4 0.5 78 % 98 % 99 % 11 mg/mL
0.05 >99 % 91 % 92 % (day 3)
0.005 26 % 11 % 13 mg/mL
0.0005 12% 0% (day 4)
No.4(2)E-APIX-NH4 0.5 44 % 100 % 100 % 14 mg/mL
0.05 100% 88% 83% (day 3)
0.005 20% 0% 19mg/mL
0.0005 2 % 0 % (day 4)
AZT 0.1 pg/mL -- 99-100% 98-100 % 2.0 ng/mL
0.01 g/mL 87-93 % 84 % (day 3)
0.001 g/mL 23-53 % 0-26 % 4.2 ng/mL
0.0001 pg/mL 3-19 % 0 % (day 4)
* Activity in % suppression of HIV proliferation based on viral protein p24
level.
**Toxicity in % of control proliferation.
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5. . tabili y Of Active Com n n c
The water extractable and acid precipitable active components of No.5(5),
No.5(8),
No. No.5(1 l), No.4(2), G and H are stable to heat, air, strong acids and weak
bases such as
HCI and ammonium bicarbonate, ammonium hydroxide or sodium bicarbonate, and
alcohols
such as ethanol. They are active in either acid forms or salt forms such as
anltnonium or
sodium salts.
No.5(5)E-APIX-NH4 remains very active (94% suppression on day 3 and 87%
suppression on day 4 at 0.1 mg/mL) when tested after 15.6 months of storage at
ambient
temperature. GE-AP2X-NH4 and HE-AP 1 X-NH4 retained their activities (100%
suppression
on both day 3 and day 4 for GE-AP2X-NH4 and 83% suppression on day 3 and 81 %
suppression on day 4 for HE-APIX-NH4 at 0.1 mg/mL) when tested after 13 months
of
storage at ambient temperature. No.5(8)E-APIX-NH4 and No.4(2)E-APIX-NH4 remain
fairly active (85% suppression on day 3 and 81% suppression on day 4 for
1s No.5(8)E-AP 1 X-NH4 and 92% suppression on day 3 and 88% suppression on day
4 for
No.4(2)E-AP I X-NH4 at 0.1 mg/mL) when tested after 12.5 months of storage at
ambient
temperature. No.5(11)E-APIX-NH4 also remains fairly active (84% suppression on
day 3
and 78% suppression on day 4 at 0.1 mg/mL) when tested after 12 months of
storage at
ambient temperature.
Industrial Annlicsbilifv
The instant invention is directed in part, to the discovery that specific
medicinal plants
or herbal medicines or their mixtures possess surprising antiviral activities
without causing
damage to the host cells. Further, the invention is directed to methods of
treating humans and
mammals infected with viruses such as HBV, HCV, or HIV. The data presented in
this
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application clearly demonstrate that the identified compositions possess
andviral activity
without toxicity to the host cells.
It can be concluded from the foregoing experiments that the herb mixture
designated
HHT888-4 is effective in treating HBV carriers and thus can be used to treat
humans infected
s with HBV. The reduction of viral load in HBV patients and carriers will thus
result in the
prevention of HBV disease in the human and will also be effective in the
treatment of humans
exhibiting HBV disease. The clinical tests have also shown that the herb
mixture
HHT888-45 is effective in treating hepatitis C patients, and thus is expected
to be effective in
treating hepatitis B patients when administered alone or in combination with
HHT888-5 or its
antiviral single-herb components.
In addition, HHT888-5, HHT888-45, HHT888-54 and the individual anti-HIV active
single-herb components have demonstrated efficacy in suppressing HIV
proliferation in
native human cells. Furthermore, HHT888-5, HHT888-45 and HHT888-54 have shown
efficacy in treating patients infected with HBV and HCV. HHT888-4, HHT888-5,
is HHT888-45, HHT888-54, water extracts and active principles are also
effective in treating
humans infected with HIV, including HIV carriers and AIDS patients.
The therapeutic effects described herein may be accomplished through the
administration of the herbal medicines "as is", or as teas, decoctions,
beverages, candies or
other confections, enteral liquid nutritional products such as infant formula
and adult
nutritional products, medical foods, nutritional supplements or
neutraceuticals containing one
or more of the herbal medicines or their extracts or the active principles.
For pharmaceutical
preparations, one or more of the antiviral herbal medicines or their extracts
or active
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principles described above may be administered in unit dosage forms such as
capsules,
packets or tablets, with or without controlled-release coating(s).
The medical community is constantly in search of methods and products that
will
effectively treat viral infections, especially methods and products for
treating humans infected
s with HBV, HCV, and HIV. The herb mixtures HHT888-4, HHT888-5, HHT888-45,
HHT888-54, the single-herb components, their extracts, active principles and
products
containing these herbal compositions will be readily accepted by the medical
community as
an additional tool in the prevention and treatment of these devastating
illnesses.
While certain representative embodiments have been described herein, it will
be
apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications
may be made
therein without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.
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