Bees are wonderful creatures and have long been known to naturally produce medicinal compounds in their honey and venom. Recently, scientists have made an even more amazing discovery about bees, they may be able to help us cure HIV indefinitely.
Melittin is a toxin found in bee venom and scientists at the Washington University School of Medicine have found that it physically destroys the HIV virus. The study was published in a recent edition of the journal Antiviral Therapy.
During their research, they attached melittin to nanoparticles that are physically smaller than HIV, which issmaller than a body cell. The toxin ripped holes in the virus’ outer layer and destroyed it, while the surrounding body cells were left unharmed. This finding is an important first step toward the development of a vaginal gel that may prevent the spread of HIV.
“Our hope is that in places where HIV is running rampant, people could use this as a preventative measure to stop the initial infection,” says Joshua L. Hood MD, PhD, a research instructor in medicine.
Dr. Hood also sees the potential for using nanoparticles with melittin as therapy for existing HIV infections, especially those that are drug resistant. In theory, these particles could be injected intravenously and they would clear HIV from the blood stream.
“The basic particle that we are using in these experiments was developed many years ago as an artificial blood product,” Dr. Hood says. “It didn’t work very well for delivering oxygen, but it circulates safely in the body and gives us a nice platform that we can adapt to fight different kinds of infections.”
Their work was done in a laboratory environment but Dr. Hood and his colleagues say that the nanoparticles are easy to manufacture in large enough quantities to supply them for future clinical trials.
The study was supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
