scholarly journals Factors Important to the Prioritization and Development of Successful Topical Microbicides for HIV-1

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen W. Buckheit ◽  
Robert W. Buckheit

Significant advancements in topical microbicide development have occurred since the prevention strategy was first described as a means to inhibit the sexual transmission of HIV-1. The lack of clinical efficacy of the first generation microbicide products has focused development attention on specific antiretroviral agents, and these agents have proven partially successful in human clinical trials. With greater understanding of vaginal and rectal virus infection, replication, and dissemination, better microbicide products and delivery strategies should result in products with enhanced potency. However, a variety of development gaps exist which relate to product dosing, formulation and delivery, and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics which must be better understood in order to prioritize microbicide products for clinical development. In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models must be optimized with regard to these development gaps in order to put the right product at the right place, at the right time, and at the right concentration for effective inhibition of virus transmission. As the microbicide field continues to evolve, we must harness the knowledge gained from unsuccessful and successful clinical trials and development programs to continuously enhance our preclinical development algorithms.

2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 1831-1842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Pirrone ◽  
Nina Thakkar ◽  
Jeffrey M. Jacobson ◽  
Brian Wigdahl ◽  
Fred C. Krebs

ABSTRACTThe discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in 1982 soon led to the identification and development of antiviral compounds to be used in treatment strategies for infected patients. Early in the epidemic, drug monotherapies frequently led to treatment failures because the virus quickly developed resistance to the single drug. Following the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 1995, dramatic improvements in HIV-1-infected patient health and survival were realized as more refined combination therapies resulted in reductions in viral loads and increases in CD4+T-cell counts. In the absence of an effective vaccine, prevention of HIV-1 infection has also gained traction as an approach to curbing the pandemic. The development of compounds as safe and effective microbicides has intensified and has focused on blocking the transmission of HIV-1 during all forms of sexual intercourse. Initial preclinical investigations and clinical trials of microbicides focused on single compounds effective against HIV-1. However, the remarkable successes achieved using combination therapy to treat systemic HIV-1 infection have subsequently stimulated the study and development of combination microbicides that will simultaneously inhibit multiple aspects of the HIV-1 transmission process by targeting incoming viral particles, virus-infected cells, and cells susceptible to HIV-1 infection. This review focuses on existing and developing combination therapies, covering preclinical development,in vitroandin vivoefficacy studies, and subsequent clinical trials. The shift in focus within the microbicide development field from single compounds to combination approaches is also explored.


Author(s):  
Bernadien M. Nijmeijer ◽  
Marta Bermejo-Jambrina ◽  
Tanja M. Kaptein ◽  
Carla M. S. Ribeiro ◽  
Doris Wilflingseder ◽  
...  

AbstractSemen is important in determining HIV-1 susceptibility but it is unclear how it affects virus transmission during sexual contact. Mucosal Langerhans cells (LCs) are the first immune cells to encounter HIV-1 during sexual contact and have a barrier function as LCs are restrictive to HIV-1. As semen from people living with HIV-1 contains complement-opsonized HIV-1, we investigated the effect of complement on HIV-1 dissemination by human LCs in vitro and ex vivo. Notably, pre-treatment of HIV-1 with semen enhanced LC infection compared to untreated HIV-1 in the ex vivo explant model. Infection of LCs and transmission to target cells by opsonized HIV-1 was efficiently inhibited by blocking complement receptors CR3 and CR4. Complement opsonization of HIV-1 enhanced uptake, fusion, and integration by LCs leading to an increased transmission of HIV-1 to target cells. However, in the absence of both CR3 and CR4, C-type lectin receptor langerin was able to restrict infection of complement-opsonized HIV-1. These data suggest that complement enhances HIV-1 infection of LCs by binding CR3 and CR4, thereby bypassing langerin and changing the restrictive nature of LCs into virus-disseminating cells. Targeting complement factors might be effective in preventing HIV-1 transmission.


2017 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 44-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Jun Liu ◽  
Jing Bai ◽  
Feng-Li Liu ◽  
Xiang-Yang Zhang ◽  
Jing-Zhang Wang

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (24) ◽  
pp. 9403
Author(s):  
Ignacio Relaño-Rodríguez ◽  
Maria Ángeles Muñoz-Fernández

Development of new, safe, and effective microbicides to prevent human immunodeficiency virus HIV sexual transmission is needed. Unfortunately, most microbicides proved ineffective to prevent the risk of HIV-infection in clinical trials. We are working with G2-S16 polyanionic carbosilane dendrimer (PCD) as a new possible vaginal topical microbicide, based on its short reaction times, wide availability, high reproducibility, and quantitative yields of reaction. G2-S16 PCD exerts anti-HIV activity at an early stage of viral replication, by blocking gp120/CD4/CCR5 interaction, and providing a barrier against infection for long periods of time. G2-S16 PCD was stable at different pH values, as well as in the presence of seminal fluids. It maintained the anti-HIV activity against R5/X4 HIV over time, did not generate any type of drug resistance, and retained the anti-HIV effect when exposed to semen-enhanced viral infection. Importantly, G2-S16 PCD did not modify vaginal microbiota neither in vitro or in vivo. Histopathological examination did not show vaginal irritation, inflammation, lesions, or damage in the vaginal mucosa, after administration of G2-S16 PCD at different concentrations and times in female mice and rabbit animal models. Based on these promising data, G2-S16 PCD could become a good, safe, and readily available candidate to use as a topical vaginal microbicide against HIV.


2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Takata ◽  
Cari Kessing ◽  
Aaron Sy ◽  
Noemia Lima ◽  
Julia Sciumbata ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The low frequency of latently HIV-infected cells in vivo limits the testing of potential HIV cure strategies using cells from successfully suppressed individuals. To date, primary cell models of latency use cells infected in vitro. Primary CD4+ T cell models carrying an individual’s endogenous HIV reservoir that recapitulate in vivo conditions of HIV latency are still outstanding. We developed a primary CD4+ T cell model of HIV latency derived from memory CD4+ T cells isolated from virally suppressed HIV-infected individuals that recapitulates HIV-1 latency and viral reactivation events. This model is based on the expansion of primary CD4+ T cells up to 300-fold in cell number. These cells reestablish a resting state without active virus production after extended culture and maintain a stable number of total HIV proviruses. The ability of these cells to respond to various classes of latency-reversing agents is similar to that of ex vivo CD4+ T cells directly isolated from blood. Importantly, viral outgrowth assays confirmed the ability of these expanded cells to produce replication-competent endogenous virus. In sum, this model recapitulates ex vivo viral reactivation conditions, captures the variability between individuals with different HIV reservoirs, and provides large numbers of cells for testing multiple agents from a single donor. The use of this novel model will allow accurate exploration of novel cure approaches aimed either at promoting viral reactivation or maintaining sustained latency. IMPORTANCE Primary cell models of HIV latency have been very useful to identify mechanisms contributing to HIV latency and to evaluate potential HIV cure strategies. However, the current models utilize in vitro infection with exogenous virus that does not fully recapitulate virus reactivation profiles of endogenous HIV in in vivo-infected CD4+ T cells. In contrast, obtaining sufficient amounts of CD4+ T cells from HIV-infected individuals to interrogate the HIV reservoir in vitro requires leukapheresis. In the model we propose here, in vitro expansion and extended culture of primary CD4+ T cells isolated from virally suppressed HIV-infected individuals enable obtaining large numbers of cells harboring endogenous latent HIV reservoirs without performing leukapheresis. This model captures the variability of HIV reservoirs seeded in different individuals and should be useful to evaluate future HIV cure strategies.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 3773-3773
Author(s):  
Nina Mohell ◽  
Charlotta Liljebris ◽  
Jessica Alfredsson ◽  
Ylva Lindman ◽  
Maria Uustalu ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 3773 Poster Board III-709 Introduction The tumor suppressor protein p53 induces cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis in response to various forms of cellular stress, through transcriptional regulation of a large number of down stream target genes. p53 is frequently mutated in cancer, and cancer cells carrying defects in the p53 protein are often more resistant to conventional chemotherapy. Thus, restoration of the wild type function to mutant p53 appears to be a new attractive strategy for cancer therapy. APR-246 is a novel small molecule quinuclidinone compound that has been shown to reactivate non-functional p53 and induce apoptosis. Although the exact molecular mechanism remains to be determined, recent results suggest that an active metabolite of APR-246 alkylates thiol groups in the core domain of p53, which promotes correct folding of p53 and induces apoptosis (Lambert et al., Cancer Cell 15, 2009). Currently, APR-246 is in Phase I/IIa clinical trials for hematological malignancies and prostate cancer. In the present abstract results from in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo preclinical studies with APR-246 are presented. Results The lead compound of APR-246, PRIMA-1 (p53 reactivation and induction of massive apoptosis), was originally identified by a cellular screening of the NCI library for low molecular weight compounds (Bykov et al., Nat. Med., 8, 2002). Further development and optimization of PRIMA-1 led to the discovery of the structural analog APR-246 (PRIMA-1MET), with improved drug like and preclinical characteristics. In in vitro experiments APR-246 reduced cell viability (WST-1 assay) in a large number of human cancer cell lines with various p53 status, including several leukemia (CCRF-CEM, CEM/VM-1, KBM3), lymphoma (U-937 GTP, U-937-vcr), and myeloma (RPMI 8226/S, 8226/dox40, 8226/LR5) cell lines, as well as many solid cancer cell lines, including osteosarcoma (SaOS-2, SaOS-2-His273,U-2OS), prostate (PC3, PC3-His175, 22Rv1), breast (BT474, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231), lung (H1299, H1299-His175) and colon cancer (HT-29). In human osteosarcoma cell lines APR-246 reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis (FLICA caspase assay) in a concentration dependent manner being more potent in the p53 mutant (SaOS-2-His273) than in the parental p53 null (SaOS-2) cells. The IC50 values (WST-1 assay) were 14 ± 3 and 27 ± 5 μM, respectively (n=35). In in vivo subcutaneous xenograft studies in SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency) mice APR-246 reduced growth of p53 mutant SaOS-2-His273 cells in a dose-dependent manner, when injected i.v. twice daily with 20 -100 mg/kg (64 – 76% inhibition). An in vivo anticancer effect of APR-246 was also observed in hollow-fiber test with NMRI mice using the acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell line MV-4-11. An ex vivo cytotoxic effect of APR-246 and/or its lead compound PRIMA-1 has also been shown in primary cells from AML and CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) patients, harbouring both hemizygously deleted p53 as well as normal karyotype (Nahi et al., Br. J. Haematol., 127, 2004; Nahi et al., Br. J. Haematol., 132, 2005; Jonsson-Videsater et al., abstract at this meeting). APR-246 was also tested in a FMCA (fluorometric microculture assay) test using normal healthy lymphocytes (PBMC) and cancer lymphocytes (CLL). It was 4-8 fold more potent in killing cancer cells than normal cells, indicating a favorable therapeutic index. This is in contrast to conventional cytostatics that often show negative ratio in this test. Furthermore, when tested in a well-defined panel of 10 human cancer cell lines consisting of both hematological and solid cancer cell lines, the cytotoxicity profile/activity pattern of APR-246 differed from common chemotherapeutic drugs (correlation coefficient less than 0.4), suggesting a different mechanism of action. Conclusion In relevant in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo cancer models, APR-246 showed unique pharmacological properties in comparison with conventional cytostatics, by being effective also in cancer cells with p53 mutations and by demonstrating tumor specificity. Moreover, in experimental safety/toxicology models required to start clinical trials, APR-246 was non toxic at the predicted therapeutic plasma concentrations. Thus, APR-246 appears to be a promising novel anticancer compound that may specifically target cancer cells in patients with genetic abnormality associated with poor prognosis. Disclosures: Mohell: Aprea AB: Employment. Liljebris:Aprea AB: Employment. Alfredsson:Aprea AB: Employment. Lindman:Aprea AB: Employment. Uustalu:Aprea AB: Employment. Wiman:Aprea AB: Co-founder, shareholder, and member of the board. Uhlin:Aprea AB: Employment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa DiNatale ◽  
Jolanta Idkowiak-Baldys ◽  
Young Zhuang ◽  
Anthony Gonzalez ◽  
Thomas J. Stephens ◽  
...  

Topical antiaging products are often a first-line intervention to counter visible signs of facial photoaging, aiming for sustained cosmetic improvement. However, prolonged application of a single active topical compound was observed clinically to lead to a plateau effect in improving facial photoaging. In view of this, we set out to reduce this effect systematically using a multi-tiered approach with laboratory evidence and clinical trials. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of active topical ingredients applied either alone, in combination, or in a rotational manner on modulation of facial photoaging. The study methodology included in vitro, organotypic, and ex vivo skin explants; in vivo biopsy study; as well as clinical trials. We demonstrate for the first time that a pair of known antiaging ingredients applied rotationally, on human dermal fibroblasts, maximized pro-collagen I production. Indeed, rotational treatment with retinol and phytol/glycolic acid (PGA) resulted in better efficacy than application of each active ingredient alone as shown by explants and in vivo biopsy study, with penetration of active ingredients confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, two split-face, randomized, double-blinded clinical trials were conducted, one for 12 months to compare treated vs. untreated and the other for 6 months followed by a 2-month regression to compare treated vs. commercially marketed products. In both studies, rotational regimen showed superior results to its matching comparison as assessed by clinical grading and image analysis of crow's feet wrinkles. In conclusion, rotational regimen using retinol and PGA is effective in treating facial photoaging signs with long-lasting benefits.


1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (3) ◽  
pp. H726-H734
Author(s):  
W. A. Schumacher ◽  
C. L. Heran ◽  
H. J. Goldenberg ◽  
D. N. Harris ◽  
M. L. Ogletree

SQ 30741 was characterized as a competitive antagonist of thromboxane receptor-mediated platelet activation in vitro that does not inhibit the activity of enzymes involved in prostaglandin, prostacyclin, and thromboxane biosynthesis. The threshold intravenous dose for antithrombotic activity was measured in anesthetized monkeys as the minimum amount of SQ 30741 required to inhibit thrombotic cyclic blood flow reductions in stenotic renal arteries. Platelet responsiveness was measured ex vivo before and during inhibition of thrombosis by the shape-change response to a thromboxane mimetic, U 46619. The threshold antithrombotic SQ 30741 dose (0.32 +/- 0.04 mg/kg; n = 5) was accompanied by an 8.5 +/- 1.1-fold shift to the right of the U 46619 concentration-effect curve, implying antagonism of 87 +/- 3% of platelet thromboxane receptors. The antithrombotic activity of SQ 30741 persisted for 109 +/- 10 min and was not reversed by indomethacin. However, in two out of seven monkeys SQ 30741 (7 mg/kg iv) did not interrupt the cyclical flow reductions. Vehicle treatment did not impede thrombosis and caused a 1.4 +/- 0.3-fold shift of the U 46619 concentration-effect curve (n = 4). In separate monkeys, SQ 30741 (0.33 mg/kg iv) produced identical dose ratios (8.6 +/- 0.7, n = 8) for inhibition of U 46619-induced mesenteric vasoconstriction. Thus the threshold antithrombotic dose of SQ 30741 caused the same magnitude of antagonism of platelet (ex vivo) and vascular (in vivo) thromboxane receptors.


2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenzhong Wei ◽  
Joshua Wiggins ◽  
Duoyi Hu ◽  
Vladimir Vrbanac ◽  
Dane Bowder ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Lactobacillus bacteria are potential delivery vehicles for biopharmaceutical molecules because they are well-recognized as safe microorganisms that naturally inhabit the human body. The goal of this study was to employ these lactobacilli to combat human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection and transmission. By using a chromosomal integration method, we engineered Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 to display human CD4, the HIV-1 receptor, on the cell surface. Since human CD4 can bind to any infectious HIV-1 particles, the engineered lactobacilli can potentially capture HIV-1 of different subtypes and prevent infection. Our data demonstrate that the CD4-carrying bacteria are able to adsorb HIV-1 particles and reduce infection significantly in vitro and also block intrarectal HIV-1 infection in a humanized mouse model in preliminary tests in vivo. Our results support the potential of this approach to decrease the efficiency of HIV-1 sexual transmission. IMPORTANCE In the absence of an effective vaccine, alternative approaches to block HIV-1 infection and transmission with commensal bacteria expressing antiviral proteins are being considered. This report provides a proof-of-concept by using Lactobacillus bacteria stably expressing the HIV-1 receptor CD4 to capture and neutralize HIV-1 in vitro and in a humanized mouse model. The stable expression of antiviral proteins, such as CD4, following genomic integration of the corresponding genes into this Lactobacillus strain may contribute to the prevention of HIV-1 sexual transmission.


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