Scientists from Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology in the U.S. have discovered a new agent that could inhibit the ability of HIV infection. The study results are published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry ‘.

The agent, called surfeno disables the action of a factor in semen that greatly increases the viral infection. The surfeno could be used as a supplement in the current HIV microbicides to substantially reduce transmission of HIV during sexual contact.

The surfeno is a small molecule that inhibits the actions of certain molecules of polysaccharides called heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG, according to its acronym in English) found on the surface of cells. The surfeno also interferes with the action of the promoter of the semen-derived viral infection (SEVI).

Warner explains Greene, head of the study, “surprisingly, although HIV replicates immediately once it is in the body, the virus struggle to establish a main line of infection during sexual transmission. SEVI We have been studying as a factor present naturally in semen of HIV that can convert thousands of times more infectious. Learn more about the surfeno, SEVI inhibitor, could afford to reduce rates of HIV transmission.

SEVI is a byproduct of a common protein in semen and under certain circumstances can increase the infectivity of HIV per 100,000 to facilitate the binding of virus to cells it targets. As most HIV infections occur through sexual contact, SEVI could have a significant impact on HIV transmission rates. The surfeno interferes with the binding of SEVI to target cells and HIV-1 virions but not its decomposition.

Initially, the researchers found that negatively charged polymers such as heparin sulphate, interfere with the binding of SEVI to target cells. This led them to hypothesize that SEVI fibrils bind to target cells by interacting with cell surface HSPG, anionic carbohydrate polymers that occur naturally with a structure resembling the heparin sulfate .

The scientists examined HSPG antagonists could interfere with the binding of SEVI the virus and target cells. They focused on surfeno, identified in 1938 and was known its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. The authors found that increased surfeno inhibits the infectivity of HIV-1 mediated SEVI or semen. After surfeno showed that interferes with the binding of SEVI both HIV target cells and its virions.

According to the report, extending access to antiretroviral therapy has saved the lives of many people living with HIV / AIDS, and has also been important in reducing overall mortality rates of some southern African countries. For example, the NGO cites Malawi and South Africa, a country where there was a significant reduction in overall mortality in areas where access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) was high. Moreover, these programs have also had a positive impact on other diseases such as tuberculosis.

“Nearly a decade of efforts to increase access to treatment allowed us to observe substantial improvements for patients and the health service. But the recent decline in funding means that doctors and nurses are already obliged to refuse AIDS patients to their clinics, as in the 1990s, before the treatment is available, “said Dr. Tido von Schoen-Angerer, director of the Campaign for Access to MSF Essential Drugs.

Indeed, the international commitment to HIV / AIDS is decreasing. With the financial crisis, the board of the Global Fund, a key financier of programs to fight against AIDS, is now unable to meet the needs of the country. PEPFAR, the emergency plan of the United States in the fight against AIDS, decided not to increase its funding in the next two years.

According to MSF, the promise made in 2005 to ensure universal access to AIDS treatment by 2010, has encouraged many African governments to undertake ambitious programs of treatment. The reduction in funding may have a negative impact for people in urgent need of antiretroviral drugs and those already under treatment.

In Uganda, some structures were already forced to stop providing treatment to new patients living with HIV. Other countries are obliged to revise their ambitions in terms of formal treatment. Finally, the MSF report shows that, particularly in settings where prevalence is high, treating AIDS has a positive impact on other health issues, particularly on maternal and child health. “A stronger commitment to other health priorities should not be to the detriment of the commitment to the fight against HIV / AIDS” said Dr. von Schoen-Angerer.

In developing countries, more than four million people living with HIV / AIDS currently receive antiretroviral therapy. An estimated six million patients needing treatment do not always have access.