Evaluation of the Fusion Inhibitor P3 Peptide As a Potential Microbicide to Prevent HIV Transmission in Women

Overview

Journal PLoS One

Specialties General Medicine
Science

Date 2018 Apr 19

PMID 29668740

Citations 5

Authors

Ines Bartolo

Ana Rita Diniz

Pedro Borrego

Joao Pedro Ferreira

Maria Rosario Bronze

Helena Barroso

Rui Pinto

Carlos Cardoso

Joao F Pinto

Rafael Cena Diaz

Pilar Garcia Broncano

Maria Angel Munoz-Fernandez

Nuno Taveira

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Microbicides are an important strategy for preventing the sexual transmission of HIV but, so far, the most advanced tenofovir-based microbicides have had modest efficacy. This has been related to adherence problems and high prevalence of tenofovir-resistant HIV-1 strains. P3 is a new peptide with potent activity against HIV that may be a good microbicide candidate. In this work P3 was formulated in a gel of hydroxyethyl cellulose and its activity, stability and safety profile in Balb/c mice were evaluated. HIV infection was fully blocked by a 1.5% gel containing P3 at the IC90 (366.4 nM) concentration. The antiviral activity did not change at 4°C during 4 months and at 25, 37 and 65°C for 1 week. P3 was stable and fully functional at acidic pH up to 24h, under different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and in the presence of genital fluids up to 48h. P3 had no antibacterial activity and did not affect sperm motility and vitality. Finally, P3 didn't cause significant alterations in the vaginal epithelium of Balb/c mice at 0.06 (456.8 μM) and 0.2 mg/day (1522.7 μM) doses. These findings indicate that P3 is an excellent candidate for further development as a microbicide gel for the prevention of HIV transmission in women.

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Correction: Evaluation of the fusion inhibitor P3 peptide as a potential microbicide to prevent HIV transmission in women.

Bartolo I, Diniz A, Borrego P, Ferreira J, Bronze M, Barroso H PLoS One. 2018; 13(5):e0197015.

PMID: 29718988 PMC: 5931661. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197015.

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