The Independentreports that a new study by University of Michigan researchers indicates that a chemical found in bananas may hep in the battle against HIV. The research says the lectins found in bananas can "bind to the sugars" found on the HIV-1 envelope. The study also found that it is harder for the HIV virus to mutate and become drug resistant with the lectins present.
Michael D. Swanson, a doctoral student in the graduate program in immunology at the University of Michigan Medical School and lead author of the study, said "the problem with some HIV drugs is that the virus can mutate and become resistant, but that's much harder to do in the presence of lectins. Lectins can bind to the sugars found on different spots of the HIV-1 envelope, and presumably it will take multiple mutations for the virus to get around them."
According to University of Michigan Health System, the "authors say even modest success could save millions of lives. Other investigators have estimated that 20 percent coverage with a microbicide that is only 60 percent effective against HIV may prevent up to 2.5 million HIV infections in three years."
The study could lead to the development of a new microbicide to protect against HIV. The study's finding were reported here in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
