Observations on the inhibition of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase by catechins.

The sensitivity and specificity of the inhibition of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase by various catechins have been examined. As previously reported, (-)epicatechin 3-gallate inhibits the viral polymerase. However, it is noted here that this inhibition is not observed in the presence of either serum albumin or Triton X-100. Other catechins behave similarly to (-)epicatechin 3-gallate in that they inhibit polymerase activity only in the absence of these reagents. Additionally, other DNA polymerases are inhibited to a similar degree by (-)epicatechin 3-gallate. Taken cumulatively, these results suggest that these catechins, and in particular (-)epicatechin 3-gallate, bind with no apparent selectivity and that the observed inhibition of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase is non-specific in nature.