Post Date November, 16 2024
AIDS is mainly transmitted through blood. Even if you kiss someone with AIDS, the possibility of being infected is very low. This has attracted the attention of Professor Wu Zhiwei from Nanjing University: may it be that the oral cavity contains antiviral ingredients? After more than ten years of research, his research team recently found the anti-AIDS protein GP340 in oral saliva, which was initially determined to be related to the suppression of HIV infection. Among them, at least the necessary ingredients can be determined, and drugs to prevent AIDS can be designed for clinical trials.
On site: doctoral students repackage HIV
Entering Professor Wu Youwei's laboratory, the first thing that catches the attention is the low height and different sizes of bottles and jars on the operating platform. Two young doctors were wearing white coats and rubber gloves, distributing serum samples and other experimental materials. The blood comes from the body of AIDS patients. Dr. Chu Ying pointed to the small test tube at hand and said, "Here are 40 sera from AIDS patients, including those who have not yet suffered from AIDS and those who have also suffered from AIDS.". It sounds terrifying, "Chu Ying smiled and said," These serum have been inactivated, the virus has been removed, and only antibodies are left. We can operate in a normal environment without any danger. Antibodies produced in the body of AIDS patients have copies of virus suppression, and some cannot. Our task is to find antibodies with strong inhibitory effects and recognize them.
Reason: Why is kissing not infected with AIDS?
Indeed, researchers found HIV genes in the saliva of AIDS patients, but these viruses cannot infect other cells. In the 1980s and 1990s, epidemiological analysis found that the probability of AIDS transmission through oral saliva was extremely low or almost non-existent.
This phenomenon caused some AIDS experts, including Wu Youwei, to speculate boldly that there must be anti-virus ingredients in the mouth!
When Wu Zhiwei worked at New York University in the United States, he began researching the separation of saliva from the human oral cavity and palate. As a result, after studying the composition of saliva, it was found that there are generally no active viruses in the oral cavity because saliva contains active proteins against HIV infection, especially the protein called GP340, which can remove bacteria from the oral cavity and plays an important role in preventing dental caries and protecting teeth.
With the deepening of research, Wu Zhiwei and others realized that the gene of this protein may play two important roles in the human body: one is related to the development and differentiation of cells, and the other is related to human natural immunity, which is consistent with the activity of GP340 protein to prevent HIV infected cells. We have done a lot of research and finally proved that GP340 can inhibit the activity of HIV infected cells and clarify its principle.
