INHIBITION OF HIV REPLICATION BY TRICHOSANTHIN IN PERIPHERAL-BLOOD MONONUCLEAR-CELLS

In this study, trichosanthin (GLQ223(TM)), a single-chain, ribosome-inactivating plant protein, suppressed replication of multiple strains of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 and the HIV-2UC3 strain in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). One strain (HIV-1SF162) was resistant to the effects of trichosanthin. At low concentrations, the drug showed no toxicity for uninfected PBMCs under treatment conditions that inhibited virus replication. The drug was most active in suppressing virus replication when added at the time of HIV inoculation. Trichosanthin has no direct effect on the virus. Different degrees of inhibition were observed when the same virus isolates were tested using PBMCs from different donors. These observations suggest that cellular factors can influence the effect of the drug and support further evaluation of trichosanthin in anti-HIV therapy.