Tea polyphenol extracts as a natural dietary supplement to current treatments of HIV/AIDS

Conventional treatments for HIV/AIDS are limited by drug toxicity and by multi-drug resistance, caused by the high genetic variability of the virus. This has led researchers into new areas of drug discovery in search of novel therapeutic molecules. Accumulating evidence indicates that tea polyphenols possess a range of properties beneficial to human health including anti-viral effects. The anti-HIV infection potential of tea polyphenols has been confirmed by several preclinical studies and suggests that polyphenol-rich extracts could be used as dietary supplements as part of a combined therapeutic regimen with conventional anti-HIV drugs. This commentary provides a perspective on the development of tea polyphenols as a source of future drugs for the therapy of HIV/AIDS.