Banana Maybe Prevent Us From Spread of HIV

This probably relieving. Some Research conducted at University of Michigan Medical School found that some lectin compound in banana may prevent the spread of HIV.

The researcher on that University found that the lectin compound called BanLec was able to stop HIV from entering the body by connecting to the HIV type 1 envelope protein. Lectins are sugar binding proteins found in plants and can successfully recognize and bind to foreign invaders in the body. The BanLec compound had previously been shown to bind to high mannose carbohydrate structures, including those found on viruses such as the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1).

According to Researchers, BanLec  inhibits primary and laboratory-adapted HIV-1 isolates of different tropisms and subtypes and it possesses potent anti-HIV activity. Besides, they also found BanLec compared favorably to T-20 and maraviroc, two anti-HIV drugs currently in clinical use. Another benefits from this research is BanLec could be less expensive and highly effective new kind of vaginal microbicide.

Michael D Swanson, the lead author of research  said a problem for another drugs for HIV today is a fact that the virus can mutate and become resistant but with the presence of lectins it much harder to happen because lectins bind the sugars found on different spots of the HIV-1 envelope and need a multiple mutation for virus to get around them.

Source : articlesbase