Identification of Anti-HIV Biomarkers of Helichrysum Species by NMR-Based Metabolomic Analysis

Several species of the Helichrysum genus have been used ethnobotanically to treat conditions that we today know have been caused by viral infections. Since HIV is a modern disease with no ethnobotanical history, we commenced with a study on the anti-HIV activity of several Helichrysum species. Drug discovery of small molecules from natural resources that is based on the integration of chemical and biological activity by means of metabolomical analyses, enables faster and a more cost-effective path to identify active compounds without the need for a long process of bioassay-guided fractionation. This study used metabolomics to identify anti-HIV compounds as biomarkers from 57 Helichrysum species in a combined study of the chemical and biological data of two previous studies. In the OPLS-DA and hierarchical cluster analyses, anti-HIV activity data was included as a secondary observation, which assisted in the correlation of the phytochemical composition and biological activity of the samples. Clear grouping revealed similarity in chemical composition and bioactivity of the samples. Based on the biological activity of polar extracts, there was a distinct phytochemical difference between active and non-active groups of extracts. This NMR-based metabolomic investigation showed that the chlorogenic acids, compounds with cinnamoyl functional groups, and quinic acid were the most prominent compounds in the Helichrysum species with anti-HIV activity. This study further revealed that the chlorogenic acid type compounds and quinic acid are biomarkers for anti-HIV activity.