Credit Plus Health By Sean Toh - Health Education 0- Sexually Transmitted Infection

Astroglide Fights HIV in Lab Test

Reuters reports that Astroglide Personal Lubricant has been found to block the replication of the human immunodeficiency virus in lab tests.

The lubricants killed HIV-infected white blood cells and HIV in seminal fluid, according to researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Dr. Samuel Baron and colleagues conducted the study to examine over-the-counter vaginal preparations for their ability to inhibit HIV production.

While the spermicide nonoxynol-9 has been found in lab tests to fight HIV, it doesn't prevent the virus from spreading, probably because it causes genital irritation, the authors note in the July 20th issue of AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. For this reason, the researchers only looked at non-irritating lubricants.

Astroglide inhibited HIV production by more than 1,000-fold when mixed in test tubes with cells contained in semen. When the preparation was mixed with cell-free semen containing the virus, it cut HIV replication eightfold.

Inactivation of the virus began within 5 minutes after the preparation was added, and the lubricant remained active for more than 8 hours at human body temperature. When layered over cells, the lubricant was still able to kill, indicating that their protective activity can diffuse into seminal fluid. The lubricant was still active when diluted in a one-to-four ratio.

Since submission of their report, the investigators have identified two components that are responsible for the inhibitory effects, Baron told Reuters Health. These components appear to interact with the lipid or fatty membrane that surrounds both the virus and the infected cells, he said.

"These materials we have identified are by the most stringent standards safe, falling in the Food and Drug Administration's No. 1 safety category," Baron noted. "This separates them out completely from nonoxynol-9."

He cautions that condoms remain the recommended method for preventing HIV transmission during sexual activity. However, Baron and his colleagues highly recommend that field trials of these agents be conducted among people at risk.

SOURCE: Reuters Health & AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses 2001;17:997-1002.

Spermicide May Actually Do More Harm Than Good

By Adam Glickman

Years ago it was thought that the spermicide Nonoxynol-9 that was added to condoms and sexual lubricants would help prevent both unwanted pregnancies and the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. After a decade of research it appears that while Nonoxynol-9 is fairly effecting at killing sperm, it is not effective in fighting the spread of STD's, including HIV. In fact, it may actually do more harm than good.

The widely used spermicide Nonoxynol-9, long recommended as a way to stop the spread of AIDS, may actually increase the risk of catching the virus, at least among women who use it frequently, according to the surprising findings of a large study.

As a result, health officials said condoms used solely to prevent disease should not be coated with Nonoxynol-9, although a condom with the spermicide is certainly safer than no condom at all. And they said the spermicide should also not be used for birth control by anyone at high risk of catching HIV.

Nonoxynol-9 is widely used around the world for contraception, and about one-third of lubricated condoms sold in the United States are covered with it. Nonoxynol-9 is a detergent formulated to kill sperm, but in the test tube it also wipes out HIV, and many have long assumed it helps protect people from the virus.

However, a study on prostitutes released at the 13th International AIDS Conference (1999) showed just the opposite: Women using a nonoxynol-9 gel increased their risk of contracting HIV rather than lowering it.

"It is an understatement to say that we were extremely disappointed," said Dr. Lut Van Damme of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, the study's director.

The researchers now assume that Nonoxynol-9, or N-9, increases the risk by irritating the vaginal lining, causing tears that give the virus a way to enter the body.

Bottom Line: Unless you are using Nonoxynol-9 exclusively for the prevention of pregnancy and you are certain that you are not allergic or irritated by N-9, then we suggestion that you do not use condoms or lubricants that contain spermicide/Nonoxynol-9.

For more information, or to purchase condoms with or without spermicide, visit Condomania.com.