anti-HIV Compounds Research Articles

Syncytium formation and destruction of bystander CD4+ cells cocultured with T cells persistently infected with human immunodeficiency virus as demonstrated by flow cytometry.

We have developed a flow cytometric method for demonstrating cell fusion between human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)- or HIV-2-infected HUT-78 cells and uninfected CD4-bearing MOLT-4 cells. Syncytium formation due to an interaction between the gp120 glycoprotein expressed on HIV-infected HUT-78 cells and the CD4 receptor present on MOLT-4 cells, resulted in an immediate decrease in the number of MOLT-4 cells; after a 24 h incubation period almost all MOLT-4 cells had disappeared from the culture. To show that the target MOLT-4 cells and not the aggressor HUT-78 cells were destroyed, specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that reacted with antigens expressed on either MOLT-4 or HUT-78 cells were used. The formation of giant cells and the concomitant disappearance of MOLT-4 cells was blocked by MAbs specific for OKT4A and Leu3a, and, to a much lower level, by the MAbs specific of OKT4 and gp120. MAbs specific for OKT3, Leu2a, HLA-DR, Leu18 and LeuM3 did not prevent the disappearance of MOLT-4 cells. Sera from two AIDS patients containing antibodies to the HIV envelope glycoproteins did not protect MOLT-4 cells against the destructive effect of the HIV-infected HUT-78 cells. The fusion index, the percentage fusion inhibition and the 50% fusion inhibitory concentration of the MAbs can be accurately determined with the flow cytometric assay. The method can be readily implemented to evaluate any therapeutic treatment by examining its capacity to block cell-to-cell fusion, and hence destruction of the target bystander cells. Five anti-HIV compounds which have been previously shown to interfere with HIV binding to cells (namely pentosan polysulphate, heparin, suramin, aurintricarboxylic acid and Evans Blue) were further evaluated by this new method. With the exception of heparin, all of these compounds were found to inhibit cell-to-cell fusion and the concomitant destruction of the target bystander cells. Azidothymidine failed to inhibit fusion or bystander T cell destruction.

Potential target sites for antiviral inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

The rapid identification of anti-HIV compounds in the laboratory following the isolation of the causative virus in 1983 and their subsequent use in the clinic was not unexpected. Three decades of previous work had established a scientific basis for the evaluation of antiviral compounds. However, no antiviral yet discovered can cause total blockade of a virus replicating in a cell. The combination of properties of HIV including latency, antigenic and biochemical variation is unusual and the virus represents a daunting challenge for chemotherapy. But at least 90 antiviral compounds have been discovered, many inhibiting the virus reverse transcriptase. Other targets for inhibition are possible including viral regulatory gene products, viral protease and endonuclease enzymes but compounds for initial study will have to be found by random searching. X-ray crystallography of HIV proteins will shortly be possible, enabling the commencement of a more molecular specific search for inhibitors. Meanwhile, advantage can be taken of comparative nucleotide sequences of the HIV-1 and -2 genomes to test short oligonucleotides as potential inhibitors of mRNA transcription. The pol gene also has a zinc finger amino acid sequence suggesting that chelation chemotherapy may have a potential role. In the absence of HIV vaccines, and associated theoretical problems in their development, antiviral chemotherapy is expected to occupy a central role in combating the AIDS epidemic.

Rapid and automated tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay for the detection of anti-HIV compounds

A rapid, sensitive and automated assay procedure was developed for the in vitro evaluation of anti-HIV agents. An HTLV-I transformed T4-cell line, MT-4, which was previously shown by Koyanagi et al. (1985) to be highly susceptible to, and permissive for, HIV infection, served as the target cell line. Inhibition of the HIV-induced cytopathic effect was used as the end point. The viability of both HIV-and mock-infected cells was assessed spectrophotometrically via the in situ reduction of 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). The procedure was optimized as to make optimal use of multichannel pipettes, microprocessor-controlled dispensing and optical density reading. The absorbance ratio of the mock-infected control to the HIV-infected samples was about 20. This allowed an accurate determination of the 50% effective doses, as demonstrated for 3'-azido-2',3'-dideoxythymidine (AZT), 2',3'-dideoxycytidine (ddCyd), dextran sulfate and heparin. The technique significantly reduced labor time as compared to the trypan blue exclusion method, and permits the evaluation of large numbers of compounds for their anti-HIV activity.

A rapid screening method for anti-HIV compounds : S.A. Galpin, D.J. Jeffries, D. Kinchington, Department of Virology, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, Norfolk Place, Paddington, London, W2 1PG

A rapid screening method for anti-HIV compounds : S.A. Galpin, D.J. Jeffries, D. Kinchington, Department of Virology, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, Norfolk Place, Paddington, London, W2 1PG

Both 2′,3′-dideoxythymidine and its 2′,3′-unsaturated derivative (2′,3′-dideoxythymidinene) are potent and selective inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus replication in vitro

2′,3′-Dideoxythymidine (ddThd) and its 2′,3′-unsaturated derivative 2′,3′-dideoxythymidinene (ddeThd) are potent and selective inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in vitro. When evaluated for their inhibitory effects on the cytopathogenicity of HIV in MT-4 cells, ddThd and ddeThd completely protected the cells against destruction by the virus at a concentration of 1 μM and 0.04 μM, respectively. In this aspect, ddeThd was about 5 times more potent than 2′,3′-dideoxycytidine (ddCyd), one of the most potent and selective anti-HIV compounds now pursued for its therapeutic potential in the treatment of AIDS. ddThd and ddeThd also suppressed HIV antigen expression at 1 μM and 0.04 μM, respectively. Their selectivity indexes, as based on the ratio of the 50 % cytotoxic dose to the 50 % antiviral effective dose, were 120 (ddeThd) and > 625 (ddThd).