In the search for novel and effective way to combat HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, researchers are turning to bananas to help in the fight. The reason for this because bananas contain lectins, which are sugar binding proteins that are sometimes involved in how a virus binds to a cell during infection.

Researchers have developed a potent new inhibitor of HIV that is derived from bananas. The compound was found to be just as potent as two anti-HIV drugs (T-20 and maraviroc) that are currently in use. The findings, published in the Journal of Biochemistry, may lead to more cost-effective microbicides to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.

There are numerous ways to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV, the most obvious of which is abstinence. Condoms are effective in preventing viral spread, but only when adherence and correct usage are employed, which are not always the case. This is especially true in areas where women do not have as much say in the use of protection.

With this in mind, HIV researchers have targeted numerous stages of the viral life cycle in order to suppress the virus and prevent infection or reproduction. Among these approaches, the ability to prevent the virus from ever entering the cell is the most desirable because the stop the virus before it can mutate and integrate into the cell’s genome.

Here, lectins seem to be effective by recognizing the virus and attaching themselves to the viral surface, specifically to the HIV-1 envelope protein, gp120. This impairs the virus’ ability to enter the cell, thus rendering if non-infectious. The discovery could lead to effective anti-HIV microbicides that are more economical than current anti-HIV medication. Because the lectins prevent viral entry, there is a lesser chance for the virus to mutate and become resistant, a common problem with other HIV therapies. Scientists envision an effective regimen that would include lectins along with other antiviral medication.

Clinical application of lectins is years away, but the preliminary results are promising and open the doors for further inquiry. While it is impossible to predict the overall efficacy of future lectin treatments, the authors note that even small levels of success could save millions of lives.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 1 million people were living with HIV in the United States, with nearly 56,000 of them new infections. Globally, HIV and AIDS continues to be a huge problem, and UNAIDS estimates that 31.3 million adults and 2.1 million children were living with HIV by the end of 2008. Around half of the infections occur in people under the age of 25, and AIDS is the second most common cause of death for people between the ages of 20 to 24 years of age.

For more information on the prevalence of HIV and AIDS, visit the website for the CDC and AVERT.