Researchers Unlock New HIV Inhibitor In Bananas

A potent new inhibitor of HIV, derived from bananas, may unlock the key to new treatments to prevent sexual transmission of the virus that causes AIDS.

Lectins, naturally occurring chemicals in plants, are proving to be an area of intense study by scientists because of their ability to halt the chain of reaction that leads to a variety of infections.

In laboratory tests, BanLec, the lectin found in bananas, was as potent as two current anti-HIV drugs. Researchers say its health implications are great because it may become a less expensive new component of applied vaginal microbicides.

"HIV is still rampant in the U.S. and the explosion in poorer countries continues to be a bad problem because of tremendous human suffering and the cost of treating it," says study senior author David Marvovitz, M.D., professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School.

Condom use is a proven effective method to lessen the transmission of the disease- if used consistently and correctly. However, this doesn't always occur and some of the most promising compounds for inhibiting vaginal and rectal HIV transmission are agents that block HIV prior to integration into its target cell.

Researchers describe the complex actions of lectins and their ability to outsmart HIV. Lectins are sugar-binding proteins which can identify foreign invaders, like a virus, and attach themselves to the pathogen. What the early findings suggest is that the lectin in bananas, can inhibit HIV infection by binding to the sugar-rich HIV-1 envelope protein, gp120, and blocking its entry to the body.

Additionally therapies employing the compound from bananas could be cheaper to create than current anti-retroviral medications which use synthetically produced components. Furthermore BanLec may provide a wider range of protection.

Researchers say that even modest success using the compound could save millions of lives. Some estimates calculated that even if it is only 60 percent effective against HIV it may prevent up to 2.5 million HIV infections in three years.