A cosmetic ingredient used already approved for use in vaginal creams has been shown to block the transmission of the HIV virus. monkeys. Glycerol monolaurate, or Gml, apparently breaks the mechanisms HIV uses to infect white blood cells, study researcher Ashley T Haase head of the microbiology department at the University of Minnesota, reports.
"We thought if we could modulate the immune response at the portal of HIV entry, we could block sexual transmission," Haase said. "[Colleague] Patrick Schlievert's work with Gml showed that it had many properties that might block HIV expansion and systematic spread."
Schlievert, and colleagues gave five rhesus macaque monkeys daily Gml treatments before putting 200 infectious doses of deadly Siv -- the monkey version of HIV -- into their vaginas. Another four animals got a gel without Gml.
Gml occurs naturally in breast milk. It interferes with bacterial growth and is widely used in hygiene and related products.
"We thought if we could modulate the immune response at the portal of HIV entry, we could block sexual transmission," Haase said. "[Colleague] Patrick Schlievert's work with Gml showed that it had many properties that might block HIV expansion and systematic spread."
Schlievert, and colleagues gave five rhesus macaque monkeys daily Gml treatments before putting 200 infectious doses of deadly Siv -- the monkey version of HIV -- into their vaginas. Another four animals got a gel without Gml.
Gml occurs naturally in breast milk. It interferes with bacterial growth and is widely used in hygiene and related products.
- 3/13/2009
- doorQ.com
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