Calophyllum lanigerum
Liputan6.com, Batam : Sejumlah tanaman langka ditemukan di Kebun Raya Batam. Dari sekian tanaman langka yang ditemukan itu, ternyata terdapat Calophyllum Lanigerum atau pohon bintangur yang dipercaya berkhasiat sebagai obat HIV/AIDS.
"Beberapa peneliti dan masyarakat mempercayai Calophyllum dapat digunakan untuk mengobati HIV/AIDS," kata Kepala Bagian Humas Pemerintah Kota Batam, Aridiwinata saat menemani tim peneliti dari Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (LIPI) dalam eksplorasi pendataan tumbuhan Kebun Raya Batam, Kamis (13/6/2013).
Tak cuma pohon bintangur, lanjut dia, tim LIPI juga berhasil menemukan beberapa tanaman langka lain. Di antaranya, Nephentes atau kantong semar dari varietas baru dan Grammatophyllum Speciosum yang merupakan anggrek raksasa.
Selain itu, di Hutan Sei Temiang dan Sei Harapan juga ditemukan Aquilaria Hirta yang dikenal sebagai pohon Gaharu/candan. "Tanaman ini( Aquilaria Hirta ) merupakan tumbuhan langka di dunia. Kami benar-benar berharap rencana LIPI, Kebun Raya Bogor, bersama Pemkot Batam untuk membangun Kebun Raya Batam benar-benar terealisasi karena potensinya ada," ungkap Aridiwinata.
Sebelumnya, saat meninjau lahan Kebun Raya Batam, Kepala Kebun Raya Bogor, Mustaid Siregar mengatakan, Batam memiliki 80 tumbuhan endemik yang tumbuh dihutan-hutan konservasi. Menurut dia, tanaman endemis paling istimewa adalah Bintangur. Tanaman asli Batam ini merupakan tumbuhan pesisir yang dapat dijadikan obat-obatan.
Sumber
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ANTI-HIV COMPOUNDS FROM THE RAINFOREST
Calanolide A (Sarawak MediChem Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 1998)
Calanolide A was isolated from a Borneo tree species by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). In vitro studies have shown Calanolide A, a non-nucleoside reverse transcript inhibitor "to be active against HIV-1, including strains resistant to AZT, Nevirapine, and other nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors."The compound has also shown to be effective in combination with other anti-HIV drugs like AZT, ddI, ddC, Nevirapine, and Carbovir.
Calanodine A has been shown in animal studies to enter viral reservoir sites "by crossing the blood-brain barrier and accumulating in the lymph nodes."
Researchers are grateful that Calanolide A even came into existence. Calanolide A is derived from Calophyllum lanigerum var austrocoriaceum , an exceedingly rare member of the Guttiferae or mangosteen family. Samples of Calophyllum lanigerum var austrocoriaceum were first collected in 1987 on an NCI-sponsored expedition in Sarawak, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. Once it was determined that Calophyllum lanigerum var austrocoriaceum showed activity against HIV, researchers returned to the original kerangas forest near Lundu (Sarawak, Malaysia) to gather more plant matter for isolating the active compound. The tree was gone -- likely felled by locals for fuelwood orbuilding material. The disappearanceof the tree lead to mad search by botanists for further specimen. Good news finally came from the Singapore Botanic Garden which had several plants collected by the British over 100 years earlier. Sarawak banned the felling and export of Calophyllum shortly the reafter.
Due to the low prevalence of Calanolide A in Calophyllum lanigerum var austrocoriaceum (only 0.05% can be extracted from the twigs and leaves) MediChem Research, Inc., has developed and patented a process for the total synthesis of ( )-Calanolide A. Calanolide A is currently in clinical trials. Details can be found at http://www.herbmed.org/Herbs/Herb19.htm and http://www.aidsmeds.com/drugs/calanolide-A.htm
A related species, Calophyllum teysmannii var. inophylloide , produces a compound (Costatolide) that also exhibits activity against HIV. Costatolide, now known as (-)-Calanolide B, is present in the latex so that tree need not be felledin order to collect the compound.
Sources.
Hanna, L. "Calanolide A: A Natural Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor." Bulletin of Experimental Treatments for AIDS. April 1999.
Sarawak MediChem Pharmaceuticals, Inc. PRNewswire. February 5, 1998; September 30, 1998.
Wilson, E.O. The Future of Life. AlfredA. Knopf. New York: 2002.
Michellamine B
(Janick 1996)
Derived from Ancistrocladus korupensis, a liana species discovered by NCI in 1987 in Korup National Park in southwestern Cameroon, Michellamine B shows in vitro activity against HIV-1 and HIV-2 by acting "at two distinct stages of the HIV life cycle: inhibitingboth viral fusion and reverse transcriptase (RT). Unlike many other non-nucleoside RT inhibitors, Michellamine B inhibits the enzymatic activity of both HIV-1 and HIV-2 reverse transcriptase." ( NIH 2002 ). For more, including the molecular structure of Michellamine B, check out http://www.niaid.nih.gov/daids/dtpdb/003610.htm
HIV AIDS
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Original Posted By Donkpretz►
Synonyms
Calophyllum austrocoriaceum T.C.Whitmore
Calophyllum frutescens Ridl.
Description
Mid-canopy tree up to 38 m tall and 81 cm dbh. Stem with white to yellow latex. Leaves opposite, simple, penni-veined, secondary veins parallel and very close together, midrib on lower surface hairy. Flowers ca. 15 mm diameter, white. Fruits ca. 24 mm diameter, green-yellow, fleshy drupe.
Ecology
In undisturbed mixed dipterocarp, keranga and coastal forests up to 800 m altitude. Found mostly on hillsides and ridges with sandy soils. In secondary forests usually presentas a pre-disturbance remnant tree.
Uses
Wood used for construction purposes, including boat building.
Distribution
Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo (Sarawak, Brunei, West-, Central-, South- and East-Kalimantan).
Local names
Borneo: Bintangor.
