Abstract
The development and use of topical microbicides potentially offers an additional strategy to reduce the spread of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Carbohydrate-binding agents (CBAs) that show specificity for high mannose carbohydrates on the surface of the heavily glycosylated envelope of HIV are endowed with potent anti-HIV activity. In fact, a number of algal lectins such as cyanovirin-N, microvirin, microcystis viridis lectin, scytovirin, Oscillatoria agardhii agglutinin and griffithsin are considered as potential microbicide candidates to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV through topical applications. They not only inhibit infection of cells by cell-free virus but they can also efficiently prevent virus transmission from virus-infected cells to uninfected CD4+ target T-lymphocytes and DC-SIGN-directed capture of HIV-1 and transmission to CD4+ T lymphocytes. This review focuses on the structural properties and carbohydrate specificity of these algal lectins, their antiviral activity against HIV and several other enveloped viruses, their safety profile and viral resistance patterns.
Highlights
Since the discovery of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) almost 30 years ago, more than 25 million people have been killed by this virus and approximately 34 million people are estimated to live with HIV
Algal lectins can be considered as Carbohydrate-binding agents (CBAs) with the most potent anti-HIV activity described so far and they are the subject of this review
The algal lectins described above possess anti-HIV-1 activity, for some limited data are available while others were extensively studied
Summary
Since the discovery of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) almost 30 years ago, more than 25 million people have been killed by this virus and approximately 34 million people are estimated to live with HIV. Drugs 2012, 10 most effective approach to halt the epidemic will be establishing effective prevention methods This should be a multifaceted approach incorporating multiple types of intervention including behavioral modification, voluntary counseling and HIV testing, condom use, male circumcision, diagnosis and treatment of STDs, vaccination, oral pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis and development of anti-HIV microbicides. A number of N-glycans on Env are resistant to mannose trimming and retain an oligomannose composition [5,10] These high mannose type glycans appear to be clustered on the gp120 envelope, resulting in an unusual density of such glycans in the envelope of HIV-1 [11]. Algal lectins can be considered as CBAs with the most potent anti-HIV activity described so far and they are the subject of this review
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