Indian scientists associated with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have identified Indian green mussel (Perna viridis) as a source of anti-HIV activity. The scientists have also secured a US patent for the invention on August 3, 2004. The invention has indicated the possibility of developing anti-HIV drug from the Indian green mussel, a marine bivalve that is in abundance off the coastline of India rendering the process for the extraction economical.

It is known that the extracts of Perna viridis when incubated with human monocytic cell line infected with HIV-1, showed 40 to 50 per cent inhibition of virus production in treated cells as compared to the controls. The invention relates to the use of extract of Indian green mussel as a source of anti-HIV activity in vitro which comprises preparing an extract from the Indian green mussel, establishing non-toxicity at the dilution (1:200) on human T-lymphocytic cell line CEM using MTT assay, assessment of production of virus in supernatants of the treated and untreated infected cells by p24 antigen ELISA using HIV-1 NJ4.3 isolate in T-cell lines CEM and Jurkat and using HIV-1 IIIB isolate in monocytic cell line U937.

The scientists have filed a separate application for patenting the process of preparation of extract from the marine bivalves also. The novelty and inventive steps of the present invention is in the identification of anti-IIIV activity in vitro in the extract of green mussel for therapeutic intervention of AIDS. Since marine bivalve are a natural source and available in abundance along the Indian coastline, development of anti-HIV drug will be economically viable, the scientists feel. The US Patent (No 6,770,302) shows Debasis Mitra and Anil Chatterji as the inventors.