Olive Leaf Polyphenols uniquely inhibit infection by the HIV-1 virus

March 19, 2007

To infect a human the HIV-1 virus must integrate its DNA into our chromosomes. It uses an enzyme known as HIV-1 integrase at many steps of this process. The integrase enzyme actually cuts and splices DNA to achieve these steps in the infection cycle. As it turns out, the two powerful polyphenols found in Olive Leaf; oleuropein and hydroxytyrosol bind to specific sites on the integrase enzyme and prevent the virus from fusing and integrating its DNA. This actually helps inhibit the viruses? ability to infect us. The research was performed at the Department of Biochemistry, NYU School of Medicine and is published in the March 23rd, 2007 issue of the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications.