A toxin created by scientists is able to kill cells where HIV is repeated despite antiretroviral therapy, shows a new study in mice.
The findings suggest that genetically modified bacterial toxin, called 3B3-PE38 and created in 1998, could be used as a complementary tool to antiretroviral therapy (ART), noted the researchers from the National Institute of Health and Medical School University of North Carolina.
Currently, antiretroviral therapy used to manage HIV to people with the disease being contained and stopped the progress of the virus.
However, therapy should be present throughout the life of the person infected or HIV will emerge again, and even if a person gets therapy, cells in different tissues of the body can still express HIV.
For this study, published in the journal “PLoS pathogens,” the researchers took mice engineered to have human immune system and infected with HIV, reports Koha.net. Then, the mice were given antiretroviral drugs for four weeks.
Researchers then divided the mice into two groups: One group received two special weeks apart antiretroviral imunotoksinës, while the other group of mice continued to receive antiretroviral only.
Researchers found that mice who were given imunotoksina except antiretroviral therapy had fewer HIV-infected cells which produce virus. In addition, they had lower levels of HIV in the blood, compared to mice who had received antiretroviral therapy alone.
“Our results demonstrate a dramatic reduction in repeat HIV throughout the body that comes as a result of the killing of virus producing cells,” the researchers wrote in the study.
“Thus, our study provides new insights into the countries of repeat HIV during ART and a demonstration that HIV can be repeated successfully targeted within the body.”
Although additional research is needed to prove this, the researchers said the findings offer hope that imunotoksina could be used to help people to achieve sustainable recovery from HIV without antiretroviral therapy.
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