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In Vitro Assay to Evaluate the Impact of Immunoregulatory Pathways on HIV-specific CD4 T Cell Effector Function
Published on: October 15, 2013
Investigation of the anti-HIV properties of oxihumate
C E J van Rensburg1, J Dekker, R Weis
1Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Abstract:
A unique process has been developed to convert bituminous coal by controlled wet oxidation followed by base treatment to a water-soluble humate called oxihumate. Oxihumate inhibited HIV-1 infection of MT-2 cells with an IC(50) of 12.5 microg/ml. Treatment of free and cell-attached HIV with oxihumate irreversibly reduced infectivity, while the susceptibility of target cells to the virus was not impaired by treatment prior to infection. The infectivity of the HIV particles was inhibited by interference with CD4 binding and the V3 loop-mediated step of virus entry. No viral resistance to oxihumate developed over a 12-week period in vitro. Oxihumate therefore holds promise for the treatment of HIV-infected patients.
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