A cream that could stop genital herpes?
US scientists say they have developed a cream which could for the first time prevent someone from becoming infected with genital herpes. The virus is carried by half a billion people worldwide – the disease can be controlled, but it is hard to stop it spreading to others through sex. This topical treatment, which has so far been tested only on mice, stops the virus from replicating in a new host.
Durable Protection from Herpes Simplex Virus-2 Transmission Following Intravaginal Application of siRNAs Targeting Both a Viral and Host Gene. Cell Host Microbe. 2009 Jan 22;5(1):84-94
A vaginal microbicide should prevent pathogen transmission without disrupting tissue barriers to infection. Ideally, it would not need to be applied immediately before sexual intercourse, when compliance is a problem. Intravaginal administration of small interfering RNA (siRNA) lipoplexes targeting Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2) genes protects mice from HSV-2. However, protection is short-lived, and the transfection lipid on its own unacceptably enhances transmission. Here, we show that cholesterol-conjugated (chol)-siRNAs without lipid silence gene expression in the vagina without causing inflammation or inducing interferons. A viral siRNA prevents transmission within a day of challenge, whereas an siRNA targeting the HSV-2 receptor nectin-1 protects for a week, but protection is delayed for a few days until the receptor is downmodulated. Combining siRNAs targeting a viral and host gene protects mice from HSV-2 for a week, irrespective of the time of challenge. Therefore, intravaginal siRNAs could provide sustained protection against viral transmission.
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Tags: Biology, Health, Medicine, Microbiology, Science, Virology
