with Relationship Sexpert Larry James
Astroglide Fights HIV
in Lab Test
Adam Glickman, Guest Author
Reuters reports that Astroglide Personal Lubricant has been found to block the replication of the
human immunodeficiency virus in lab tests.
The lubricants killed HIV-infected white blood cells and HIV in seminal fluid, according to researchers
from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
Dr. Samuel Baron and colleagues conducted the study to examine over-the-counter vaginal preparations
for their ability to inhibit HIV production.
While the spermicide nonoxynol-9 has been found in lab tests to fight HIV, it doesn't prevent the
virus from spreading, probably because it causes genital irritation, the authors note in the July 20, 2001
issue of AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. For this reason, the researchers only looked at non-irritating lubricants.
Astroglide inhibited HIV production by more than 1,000-fold when mixed in test tubes with cells contained
in semen. When the preparation was mixed with cell-free semen containing the virus, it cut HIV replication eightfold.
Inactivation of the virus began within 5 minutes after the preparation was added, and the lubricant
remained active for more than 8 hours at human body temperature. When layered over cells, the lubricant
was still able to kill, indicating that their protective activity can diffuse into seminal fluid. The
lubricant was still active when diluted in a one-to-four ratio.
Since submission of their report, the investigators have identified two components that are responsible
for the inhibitory effects, Baron told Reuters Health. These components appear to interact with the lipid
or fatty membrane that surrounds both the virus and the infected cells, he said.
"These materials we have identified are by the most stringent standards safe, falling in the Food
and Drug Administration's No. 1 safety category," Baron noted. "This separates them out completely from nonoxynol-9."
He cautions that condoms remain the recommended method for preventing HIV transmission during sexual
activity. However, Baron and his colleagues highly recommend that field trials of these agents be
conducted among people at risk.
Copyright © - Condomania. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
SOURCE: Reuters Health & AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses 2001; 17:997-1002.
Buy Astroglide online at Condomania.com.
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