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Good News: HIV cure found in bee venom?!
Thursday 14th March 2013 | sana
Note: The image above shows a diagram of the HIV virus and how the nanoparticles can penetrate the virus provided by Washington University of Medicine.
Being stung by a bee might not be so bad in this age of day for researchers have announced that nanoparticles infused with toxic bee venom were found to kill the HIV virus. HIV has a different structure from other retroviruses; it is almost spherical with a diameter of approximately 120nm, which makes it about 60 times smaller than a red blood cell as well as large for a virus. This is virtually what allows the virus to infect and kill white blood cells, making it so problematically hard to kill. For this reason researchers have been searching out side the box for sources that could kill the virus. According to Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, this discovery is crucial to developing a vaginal gel that may in fact prevent the spread of the virus. Johsua L. Hood, MD, PhD, and research instructor of medicine at the university stated, “Our hope is that in places where HIV is running rampant, people could use this gel as a preventive measure to stop the initial infection,” (Hood, 2013). Together with his team, the scientists have announced that it is indeed possible to kill the infected HIV cells using bee venom; due to the fact that bee venom contains a toxic peptide called melittin which can puncture the double-layered membrane or protective envelope that surrounds HIV, without damaging surrounding cells. “The melittin forms little pore-like attack complexes and ruptures the envelope, stripping it off the virus,” says Hood. “We’re attacking an inherent physical property of HIV.” This means that there is no reason for the virus to resist the antidote. Although we are still in stage one of a cure, (the study was conducted in a lab not on a living creature) researchers are positive about this breakthrough and what it could mean for the future. “Our hope is that in places here HIV is running rampant, people could use this gel as a preventative measure to stop the initial infection,”(Hood, 2013). For more information on the subject the full details of the study is available in the current issue of the journal Antiviral Therapy. Furthermore a baby girl born with HIV was pronounced cured by doctors on March 3rd, 2013 after months of HIV treatment!
Note: Below is a video by the YouTube channel NewsyScience.
