A new study suggests that green tea could be a key to vaginal anti-HIV products. Recent research has shown that semen contains a factor called SEVI (semen-derived enhancer of virus infection), which helps HIV reach the cells it infects.
SEVI is made of amyloid fibrils formed from a prostate protein found in semen. Other kinds of amyloid are linked with brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Among the compounds that fight amyloid formation is EGCG, found in green tea.
Does green tea fight SEVI and HIV? Yes, according to Dr Ilona Hauber of the Heinrich Pette Institute for Experimental Virology and Immunology in Hamburg, Germany. In lab studies, Hauber and colleagues showed that EGCG broke down the fibrils formed from the prostate peptides and stopped semen from boosting HIV infection, without harming human cells.
One line of HIV research is looking for a vaginal gel women could use during sex to protect themselves from infection. Such a gel must not cause irritation, and its active ingredients must work in the acidic environment of the vagina. EGCG is stable in acidic conditions, and Hauber's team suggested it could be a useful addition to anti-HIV vaginal gels containing an antiviral drug. They also noted that EGCG has an anti-HIV effect of its own.
"EGCG, a natural component of green tea, may be a valuable and cost-effective inhibitor of semen-mediated enhancement of HIV infection, and so of sexual transmission of HIV," the researchers concluded. The results were published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Note: these are lab results. Drinking green tea does not protect against HIV; condoms and medical prevention do.
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