en Venom Components of Iranian Scorpion Hemiscorpius lepturus Inhibit the Growth and Replication of Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) Related Fields Related Fields مقاله کامل Full Length/Original Article <p><strong>Background:</strong> During the recent years, significant progress has been achieved on development of novel anti-viral drugs. Natural products are assumed as the potential sources of novel anti-viral drugs; therefore, there are some previous studies reporting the anti-viral compounds from venomous animals. Based on the significant value for tracing of non-toxic anti-viral agents from natural resources, this study was aimed to investigate the anti-viral activity of some HPLC purified fractions derived from the venom of Iranian scorpion, <em>Hemiscorpius lepturus</em>, against human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). <strong>Methods:</strong> <em>H. Lepturus</em> crude venom was subjected to reverse phase HPLC analysis to determine its active components precisely where four dominant fractions obtained at retention time of 156-160 minutes. The phospholipase A2 and hemolytic activities of the purified fractions were first evaluated. Then the anti-viral activity was measured using single cycle HIV (NL4-3) replication and HSV (KOS) plaque reduction assays. <strong>Results:</strong> The <em>H. lepturus</em> crude venom inhibited HIV replication by 73% at the concentration of 200 &micro;g/ml, while it did not show significant anti-HSV activity. It also inhibited the cell-free viral particles in a virucidal assay, while it showed no toxicity for the target cells in a proliferation assay. The four HPLC fractions purified from <em>H. lepturus</em> inhibited HIV with IC₅₀ of 20 &micro;g/ml.&nbsp;<strong>Conclusion:</strong> <em>H. </em><em>lepturus</em> venom contains components with considerable anti-HIV activity insofar as it has virucidal activity that offers a novel therapeutic approach against HIV infection. Our results suggest a promising pilot for&nbsp;anti-HIV&nbsp;drug discovery with <em>H. </em><em>lepturus</em> scorpion venom.</p> Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Herpes simplex virus (HSV), Hemiscorpius lepturus, Venom 259 265 http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-627&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Rezvan Zabihollahi No Kamran Pooshang Bagheri No Zohreh Keshavarz No Fatemeh Motevalli No Golnaz Bahramali No Seyed Davar Siadat No Seyed Bahman Momen No Delavar Shahbazzadeh No Mohammad Reza Aghasadeghi mrasadeghi@pasteur.ac.ir Yes