-Caveat Lector-
HIV-Killing Proteins Found in Tears
By PAUL RECER
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Researchers have found that tears, saliva and pregnant
women's urine contain proteins that are powerful killers of HIV, the virus
that
causes AIDS.
In a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, scientists found that a protein called lysozyme was able to kill the
AIDS virus quickly in test-tube experiments.
Sylvia Lee-Huang of New York University, lead researcher in the study, said
the protein could become an important drug against HIV because it is a natural
compound that the body routinely makes in tears and saliva.
``It ought to be more tolerated and have fewer side effects than other HIV
drugs,''
said Lee-Huang. ``It possibly could be used in combination with other
drugs.''
It's not known how lysozyme kills HIV, but Lee-Huang speculated that it could
work by breaking down the outer membrane of the virus.
The team also found that the urine of pregnant women contains another type of
protein, called ribonucleases, that destroys the genetic material in the HIV
virus.
Nava Sarver, an AIDS researcher at the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases, said the study was interesting but needs to be confirmed
by other laboratories.
``A lot of work needs to be done to simulate the (laboratory) findings in a
more
relevant situation,'' said Sarver. Her agency, NIAID, is part of the National
Institutes of Health.
The search for the anti-HIV protein was prompted, said Lee-Huang, when
researchers realized the babies of women infected with HIV were somewhat
protected from the virus.
Researchers earlier suspected that human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, a
hormone produced during pregnancy, was responsible for protecting against HIV
and other viruses.
Lee-Huang said she and her group purified HCG and found it had no effect on
HIV. The researchers then spent two years isolating other proteins in urine
and testing them against HIV. Eventually they found lysozyme and
ribonucleases.
The researcher speculated that pregnancy prompts a woman's body to make more
virus-killing proteins to protect the developing baby from viruses and
bacteria. That suggests ``Mother Nature knows best how to protect the
earliest
stages of life,'' Lee-Huang said.
The proteins also were found in mother's milk, white blood cells and chicken
egg whites.
The presence of lysozyme in saliva may be a factor in why HIV is not
transmitted
by casual kissing, said Lee-Huang.
The team is trying to determine exactly how lysozyme attacks HIV. That is a
critical step in developing a new HIV drug based on the protein, she said.
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