banana and hiv
May 23, 2010
Doctor Bob what do you think about using squeeze banana as lubricant since scientist found something that can kill hiv in banana, in short rubbing banana on condom to reduce risk in case of breakage. tugurun
Response from Dr. Frascino
There has always been something appealing (pun intended) about a banana-flavored condom. However, using squished banana on a condom as a lubricant will not help prevent HIV. Research into Ban-Lec, the banana-derived protein that may help block HIV binding, is still ongoing. We are still years away from bringing this type of product to market. (See below.)
How Bananas Could Help Prevent the Spread of HIV March 31, 2010
A natural chemical in bananas could inhibit HIV infection and play a role in future drug applications, investigators report in a new preliminary study.
Researchers knew that a banana-derived lectin, or protein, called BanLec, binds to certain carbohydrate structures, "including those found on viruses containing glycosylated envelope proteins" such as HIV-1. Through this action, Dr. David Markovitz and colleagues at the University of Michigan hypothesized that BanLec could block HIV by binding to the HIV envelope glycoprotein gp120.
In the lab, testing confirmed direct binding of BanLec to gp120, and BanLec blocked HIV-1 cellular entry in temperature-sensitive viral entry studies. BanLec's anti-HIV activity compared favorably with T-20 (Fuzeon) and maraviroc, the team reported.
The banana lectin is promising because it is less likely to be thwarted by HIV, as the virus would probably have to mutate several times over to overcome it, Markovitz and colleagues said. Possible applications might be in microbicides or as a component of antiretroviral therapy, though the scientists conceded such developments are still years away.
The full study, "A Lectin Isolated from Bananas Is a Potent Inhibitor of HIV Replication," was published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry (2010; 285(12):8646-55).
Bananas Over BanLec By Richard Jeffreys March 16, 2010
A study just published in the Journal of Biochemistry has generated a great deal of press coverage because it reports that a compound derived from bananas can inhibit HIV in a lab dish. The substance, a banana lectin known as BanLec, was first discovered twenty years ago and shown to be a potent mitogen (a substance which non-specifically stimulates T cell proliferation). The mechanism of HIV inhibition appears related to its ability to bind to sugar molecules on the viral envelope, thereby blocking virus attachment and entry into target cells. This mechanism is similar to the broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody 2G12, although the paper reports that, unlike 2G12, BanLec can inhibit HIV isolates from clade C as well as clade B. The researchers conclude that BanLec might be adapted for use in microbicides, but caution that its mitogenic potential would have to somehow be stymied. Unfortunately many of the press stories have missed this caveat, instead characterizing BanLec as "naturally occurring" as if this is synonymous with safe. But the caveat is crucial, because stimulation of T cell proliferation would carry the risk of increasing susceptibility to HIV infection and causing other untoward inflammation-related toxicities. A Google news search for "BanLec HIV" currently retrieves 156 results, a search for "BanLec mitogen" retrieves none.
J Biol Chem. 2010 Mar 19;285(12):8646-55. Epub 2010 Jan 15.
A Lectin Isolated From Bananas Is a Potent Inhibitor of HIV Replication Michael D. Swanson, Harry C. Winter, Irwin J. Goldstein and David M. Markovitz||
From the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Program in Immunology, ||Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, and Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
BanLec is a jacalin-related lectin isolated from the fruit of bananas, Musa acuminata. This lectin binds to high mannose carbohydrate structures, including those found on viruses containing glycosylated envelope proteins s