Abstract

Effect of Antioxidant on Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Author(s): H.H.P. Cohly

Plant antioxidants may offer protection from viral replication and cell death associated with oxidative stress in patients with HIV. Proliferative responses of human mononuclear cells derived from HIV patients (chronic model) stimulated with phyohemagglutinin, concanavalin, and pokeweed mitogen were also examined in the presence of AZT and Tm. In the infection assay, T, Tm and Cu individually did not reduce p-24 antigen release. In the proliferation assay, lymphocytes from HIV-infected patients showed better inhibition of mitogen responsiveness to Tm (800ng/ml) when compared to AZT at 5 µM. Turmerin inhibited HIV-infected T-cell proliferation and, in combination with AZT, decreased T-cell infection and increased cell viability. data provide evidence suggesting that efficacious anti-HIV therapy may be possible using lower, less toxic doses of AZT in the presence of turmerin.