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Effect of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) on reverse transcriptase activity in HIV-1 infected lymphocytes and
1Population Council, Center for Biomedical Research, New York, NY.
Abstract:
The majority of infants born to HIV-positive mothers are not infected in utero, suggesting that the pregnancy factors produced by fetal trophoblasts may provide protection against HIV-1 infection. Except for steroid female hormones, little is known of other pregnancy factors that may regulate either resistance or susceptibility to HIV-1. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)--the major glycoprotein produced by the placental trophoblast throughout the pregnancy--was tested on reverse transcriptase activity in HIV-infected ACH-2 lymphocytes and U1 monocytes. The results suggest that low non-cytotoxic doses of hCG (0.01-1.0 IU range) may inhibit viral replication in maternal blood cells.