Novel peptides with HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitory activity derived from the fruits of Quercus infectoria

The HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (HIV-1 RT), which is responsible for transcription of viral RNA genomes into DNA genomes, has become an important target for the treatment of patients with HIV infection. Hydrolyzed peptides from plants are considered a new source of potential drugs. In order to develop new effective inhibitors, peptides extracted from 111 Asian medicinal plants were screened against the HIV-1 RT. The crude hydrolyzed peptides from the fruit peel of Quercus infectoria were selected for purification and peptide sequence determination by HPLC and LC-MS. Two peptides of interest were synthesized, and an IC₅₀ test was performed to determine their ability to inhibit the HIV-1 RT. The IC₅₀ values of the peptides AIHIILI and LIAVSTNIIFIVV were determined to be 274 ± 5.10 nm and 236.4 ± 7.07 nm, respectively. This indicated that these peptides could be further developed as potential HIV-1 RT inhibitors.