welcome the invaders. a population of CD4 coated Lactobacillus bacteria could be used as an anti-HIV barrier in the vagina.
the best way to block the transmission of HIV during sexual intercourse is condoms, but men sometimes oppose use. Now, researchers have developed an idea to help women protect themselves, especially in developing countries. Their modified bacteria could be used to colonize the vagina and fight against the spread of HIV. But even if the approach promises to help women directly reduce their risk of infection, several obstacles stand in the way.
All women with HIV-combat Lactobacillus bacteria on the main site of HIV infection, says Peter Lee, a molecular biologist at Stanford University. These bacteria coat inside the vagina and excrete agents of lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide antimicrobial. To see if the capacity of Lactobacillus could be exploited, a team led by Lee and John Lewicki, a molecular biologist at Osel, a biomedical company in Santa Clara, California, inserted the virus gene -Kill human CD4 protein - molecular target HIV - in bacteria. CD4 is a membrane protein on human immune cells that HIV is anchored before infecting the cells. Lactobacillus engineered to secrete CD4 could block the virus from attaching to human cells, they reasoned.
The technique shows promise, at least in vitro, they report online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . When mixed with human cell cultures, bacteria decreased infectivity of HIV-1 Appearance laboratory strain of 95%. Although the technique does not work as well with wild strains, experiments provide "proof of principle," says Lewicki. He and Lee are now trying to make the most effective technique for engineering Lactobacillus to express CD4 on its surface. These bacteria, they say, could collect HIV and kill them with his lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Eventually, the team hopes to concentrate engineering Lactobacillus in a vaginal suppository. Osel is already a product using unmodified Lactobacillus (to fight against vaginal infections), but approval of a basic modified bacteria to treatment could be tricky.
"I think this is a good approach in principle," said Ed Berger, a molecular biologist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland, because it is potentially cheap to produce, discreet to use, and above all "controlled by women." However, there are obstacles to overcome, said Berger, as to ensure that the alteration Lactobacillus is surpassed by natural Lactobacillus or cause inflammatory reactions.
Related Sites
bacterial pills Osel
The search for new ways to fight against HIV
0 Komentar