MINNEAPOLIS, March 4 (UPI) -- In a study of monkeys, a vaginal gel prevented sexual transmission of the AIDS virus, University of Minnesota researchers found.
The gel's anti-HIV ingredient is glycerol monolaurate, which is already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an ingredient in cosmetics and medicines, researcher Dr. Ashley T. Haase, head of the microbiology department at the University of Minnesota, said.
"The results are very encouraging. They point to a novel avenue to prevent sexual transmission of HIV," Haase said at a telephone news conference, WebMD reported.
Haase explained that the surprise finding that the gel can block HIV comes from research showing that the AIDS virus gains a foothold in the vagina by taking advantage of the body's immune system -- immune responses to the virus draw T cells, the white blood cells HIV loves to infect, to the site of infection. Without T-cell recruitment, HIV loses its grip, Haase added.
The anti-microbial agent affects immune responses and breaks the chain of events that let HIV spread through the body, the study found.
The findings are published in the journal Nature.
