Natural protein slows Aids

Boosting a protein that naturally occurs in the body has been shown to reduce HIV ten-fold, according to new research.

HIV spreads by degrading selenoproteins, US biochemists said.
Selenoproteins are made when selenium is incorporated into proteins and works by reducing the spread of infection.

One of its targets is the HIV virus.

Reduced selenium increased viral replication 3.5-fold, they added.

Pennsylvania assistant professor of immunology and molecular
toxicology Sandeep Prabhu said: "Since HIV targets the selenoproteins, we thought that the logical way to deal with the virus is to increase the expression of such proteins in the body."

The biochemists conducted research by isolating blood cells from healthy human volunteers than infected the cells with the virus then they added selenium to the culture to observe its effects on cell replication.

Researchers repeated the study by reducing selenium to look at its impact on HIV/Aids, which affected more than 33 million people in the world in 2007.

Once selenium proteins are fully understood, it could help scientists create more effective drugs, the professor added.

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