SEATTLE, July 31, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Plandai Biotechnology, Inc. (OTCBB:PLPL), a producer of highly bioavailable plant extracts, today announced recent test results support the use of catechins in preventing the spread of HIV. The report, published in Clinical Immunology, states that four catechins with the galloyl moiety, including catechin gallate (CG), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), gallocatechin gallate (GCG), and epicatechin gallate (ECG), were found to effectively inhibit HIV-1 integrase. Integrase is the enzyme produced by a virus that allows it to be integrated into the infected cell. Inhibiting integrase is seen as a key component in preventing the spread of retroviruses such as HIV.
The study, while recognizing previous research demonstrating the potential for green tea catechins in preventing HIV, sought to isolate the operative factors that yielded these results. The researchers found that the four catechins may bind between the HIV-1 integrase, thus disrupting its interaction with virus DNA. The four catechins have a highly cooperative inhibitory effect, suggesting that catechins with the galloyl moiety could be a novel and effective class of HIV-1 integrase inhibitors.
In 2007 the first HIV-1 integrase target drug, Raltegravir, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. While HIV-1 integrase has become an attractive drug target recently, raltegravir resistance mutations have been found in clinical trials.
Roger Duffield, Chief Executive Officer of Plandai, commented, "The recently approved clinical integrase inhibitors are almost all derived from diketo acid (DKA), a synthetic compound that selectively inhibits the strand transfer step of integration. Catechins, however, are natural compounds found in tea that are well-known for their healthy effects and safety. Thus, catechins may provide a safe and well-tolerated drug. Furthermore, catechins are cheap natural compounds. A clinical dose of our green tea derived catechin extract would be approximately 700 times cheaper than raltegravir. Thus, catechins that contain a galloyl moiety may drastically reduce the prescription cost for HIV-1 patients and may be popular among low-income populations."
Plandai Biotechnology's patented highly-bioavailable green tea extract, Phytofare™, is a green tea-based extract rich in all four catechins and eight times better absorbed by human tissue.
About Plandai Biotechnology, Inc.
Plandai Biotechnology, Inc. focuses on the farming of whole fruits, vegetables and live plant material and the production of proprietary functional foods and botanical extracts for the health and wellness industry. Its principle holdings consist of land, farms and infrastructure in South Africa. Web site: http://www.plandaibiotech.com/
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