Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Isolation, Transfection, and Culture of Primary Human Monocytes
Published on: December 16, 2019
Lipopolysaccharide suppresses HIV-1 replication in human monocytes by protein kinase C-dependent heme oxygenase-1
Krishnakumar Devadas1, Indira K Hewlett, Subhash Dhawan
1Laboratory of Molecular Virology, Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, 1401 Rockville Pike (HFM-315), Rockville, MD 20852-1448, USA.
Abstract:
LPS is an important component of the Gram-negative bacteria cell wall. It activates monocytes and induces multiple host immune and inflammatory responses. Interestingly, in spite of inducing host-inflammatory responses, LPS also protects monocyte-derived macrophages from infection by HIV-1. In this report, we have shown that LPS treatment of human monocyte-derived macrophages markedly suppressed HIV-1 replication, even on addition to infected cells 24 h after infection. Inhibition of HIV-1 replication was associated with PKC-dependent induction of HO-1, a cytoprotective enzyme known to catabolize heme. Pretreatment with the PKC inhibitor Go 6976 not only substantially inhibited LPS-mediated induction of HO-1 but also attenuated LPS-induced suppression of HIV replication. Significant reduction of HIV replication by inhibitors of JNK, NF-kappaB, and PI3K was independent of a LPS-mediated anti-HIV effect. Specificity of HO-1 was confirmed by substantial reversal of LPS-induced viral replication by pretreatment of cells with SnPP IX, an inhibitor of HO-1 enzyme activity. These results demonstrate a previously undefined function of HO-1 as a host defense mechanism in LPS-mediated inhibition of HIV-1 replication.
Related Concept Videos
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis
Inhibitors of Virion Maturation and Assembly
Formation of Lipopolysaccharides
Inhibitors Of Virion Release

