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Development of a Topical Vaginal Microbicide

Lessons Learned from Human Milk

  • Chapter
Bioactive Components of Human Milk

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 501))

Abstract

Vaccines are not presently available to prevent adherence and transmission of many common pathogens at mucosal surfaces. As a result, sexually transmitted diseases were one of the most commonly reported infections in the US in 1999. New methods are needed to reduce the spread of mucosal infections. Providing nonspecific protective factors, such as lipids and retinoids found in human milk to mucosal surfaces could reduce mucosal infection caused by viruses, e.g., herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) and bacteria, e.g., Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Human milk lipids enzymatically modified to produce monoglycerides were antimicrobial and inactivated enveloped viruses, as well as gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Enveloped viruses were inactivated in seconds following contact with antimicrobial lipids, and P. aeruginosa infectivity was reduced by 99.9% after 2 hours. Transmission of pathogens at mucosal surfaces can also be prevented using retinoids that inhibit viral replication. In a human embryonic intestinal cell line the retinoic acid (RA) derivatives alltrans-RA and 9-cis-RA (10µg/mL) decreased the production of HSV-1 and Echo-6 viruses by 1-2log,o over a 48-hour period. In addition, all-trans-RA inhibited HSV-1 replication in Vero cells as effectively as interferon beta, reducing viral production by 2.5 logio. These studies indicate that lipids and retinoids could be part of a topical microbicide to prevent mucosal infections.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Developmental Biochemistry, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, 10314

    Charles E. Isaacs

  2. Department of Virology, New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, 10314

    Raju Pullarkat & Richard Kascsak

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  1. Charles E. Isaacs
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  2. Raju Pullarkat
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Waltham, Massachusetts and Harvard Medical School, Shriver Center, Boston, Massachusetts

    David S. Newburg

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Isaacs, C.E., Pullarkat, R., Kascsak, R. (2001). Development of a Topical Vaginal Microbicide. In: Newburg, D.S. (eds) Bioactive Components of Human Milk. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 501. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1371-1_28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1371-1_28

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5521-2

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