6th International AIDS Conference


San Francisco, California, USA — June 20-23, 1990

Print this Article


Inhibition of HIV infectivity and cytopathogenicity in vitro by Aspergillus terreus toxins.

Int Conf AIDS 1990 Jun 20-23; 6:331 (abstract no. 1069)
Biglino A, Pugliese A, Vidotto V, Forno B, Pollono A, Ceruti A; Institute of Infectious Diseases, University of Torino, Italy

OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of ether- extracted Aspergillus terreus toxins on HIV infectivity and cytopathogenicity in vitro. These toxins are well-known inhibitors of DNA synthesis.

METHODS: MT-4 cells (E. De Clercq, Leuven) were either infected with HIV (final titre: 50 CCID50/ml) from supernatant of H9/III-B cells (R.C. Gallo, Bethesda), or mock-infected with medium, and cultured for 5 days in 96-well microplates in the presence of different concentrations of toxins or in their absence. The number of viable cells, the percentage of cells expressing GP 120 antigen, and P24 antigen level in supernatants were evaluated, respectively, with trypan- blue exclusion, indirect immunofluorescence microscopy and an immunoenzymatic method.

RESULTS: Toxins at concentrations of 1.8 and 0.6 mug/ml did not impair mock-infected cell replication (viable cells= 90% and 95% of untreated control) but inhibited both GP 120 surface expression (fluorescent cells = 15% and 25%, respectively; untreated control = 70%) and supernatant HIV Ag concentration (respectively 20% and 42% of levels obtained in untreated control) in infected cultures. Higher concentrations (3.75 to 60 mug/ml) partially or completely inhibited viral antigen expression but impaired severely cell replication.

CONCLUSIONS: Aspergillus terreus toxins can interfere with HIV in vitro at concentrations not affecting cell replication.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV, Anti-HIV Agents, HIV Infections, Receptors, HIV, Toxins, Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors, HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase, HIV Antibodies, Antigens, Viral, In Vitro, pathogenicity, ICA6KWDaegis,hiv,anti-hivagents,hivinfections,receptors,hiv,toxins,reversetranscriptaseinhibitors,hiv-1reversetranscriptase,hivantibodies,antigens,viral,invitro,pathogenicity,ica6

900620
1069

Copyright © 1990 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.