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Aloperine is an alkaloid that exerts significant inhibitive effects on acute inflammation and Type III and IV hypersensitivity caused by a variety of inflammatory agents. The aims of the present study were to investigate whether the protective effect of aloperine attenuates hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 )-induced injury, and to identify the underlying mechanisms involved. Nucleus pulposus cells were extracted from adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, and incubated with fresh medium containing 200 µM H 2 O 2 for 24 h. In the study, treatment with aloperine significantly increased cell viability and suppressed apoptosis in H 2 O 2 -treated nucleus pulposus cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, 10 and 100 nM aloperine significantly inhibited H 2 O 2 -induced tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 activities, and significantly increased the H 2 O 2 -reduced superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities in nucleus pulposus cells (all P<0.01). However, aloperine treatment (10 and 100 nM) significantly reduced the H 2 O 2 -induced caspase-9 activity in nucleus pulposus cells. Furthermore, addition of 10 and 100 nM aloperine significantly suppressed nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and phosphorylated-protein kinase B expression levels in H 2 O 2 -treated nucleus pulposus cells. In conclusion, the protective effect of aloperine attenuated H 2 O 2 -induced injury via hyperproliferation, its anti-apoptotic activity and suppression of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

A quinolizidine-type alkaloid aloperine was found to inhibit HIV-1 infection by blocking HIV-1 entry. Aloperine inhibited HIV-1 envelope-mediated cell-cell fusion at low micromolar concentrations. To further improve the antiviral potency, more than 30 aloperine derivatives with a variety of N12-substitutions were synthesized. Among them, 12d with an N-(1-butyl)-4-trifluoromethoxy-benzamide side chain showed the most potent anti-HIV-1 activity with EC50 at 0.69 μM. Aloperine derivatives inhibited both X4 and R5 HIV-1 Env-mediated cell-cell fusions. In addition, both BMS-806, a compound representing a class of HIV-1 gp120-targeting small molecules in clinical trials, and resistant and sensitive HIV-1 Env-mediated cell-cell fusions were equally sensitive to aloperine derivatives. These results suggest that aloperine and its derivatives are a new class of anti-HIV-1 entry inhibitors.