A potent new inhibitor of HIV, derived from bananas, may
open the door to new treatments to prevent sexual
transmission of the disease. This could be especially
important for
Africa, where AIDS patients do not have access to costly
drugs, but where bananas could be grown (We once thought
this fruit was going to
disappear, but it's still going strong). New cures for
diseases is one of the fascinating subjects that
Anne
Strieber discusses with Russell Targ on this week's
Dreamland.
Scientists have an emerging interest in lectins, naturally
occurring chemicals in plants, because of their ability to halt
the chain of reaction that leads to a variety of infections.
When BanLec, the lectin found in bananas, was tested, it
was found to be as potent as two current anti-HIV drugs. It
may become a less expensive new component of a barrier
that can be applied by women before having sex, since
heterosexually transmitted HIV is the major cause of AIDS in
poor countries. Although condom use is quite effective,
condoms are most successful in preventing infection if used
consistently and correctly, which is
often not
the case.
New ways of stopping the spread of the HIV are vitally
needed. The rate of new infections of HIV is outpacing the
rate of new individuals getting anti-retroviral drugs by 2.5
to1, and at present it appears an effective vaccine is years
away. Researcher David Marvovitz says, "HIV is still rampant
in the US and the explosion in poorer countries continues to
be a bad problem because of tremendous human suffering and
the cost of treating it. That's particularly true in developing
countries where women have little control over sexual
encounters so development of a long-lasting, self-applied
microbicide is very attractive." And some of the most
promising compounds for inhibiting vaginal and rectal HIV
transmission are agents that block the virus prior to
integration into its target cell.
BanLec may even be BETTER than expensive drugs.
Researcher Michael D. Swanson says, "The problem with some
HIV drugs is that the virus can mutate and become resistant,
but that's much harder to do in the presence of lectins."
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