Carrageenan Is a Potent Inhibitor of Papillomavirus Infection

PLoS Pathogens

Martin Müller¹  Cynthia D Thompson²  Douglas R Lowy²  Christopher B Buck²  Jeffrey N Roberts²  John T Schiller² 

[1] Forschungsschwerpunkt für Angewandte Tumorvirologie, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany;Laboratory of Cellular Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America

关键词: Human papillomavirus infection;    Viral packaging;    HPV-16;    Polysaccharides;    Sexually transmitted diseases;    Sulfates;    Cell binding;    Heparin;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.ppat.0020069

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

Certain sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) types are causally associated with the development of cervical cancer. Our recent development of high-titer HPV pseudoviruses has made it possible to perform high-throughput in vitro screens to identify HPV infection inhibitors. Comparison of a variety of compounds revealed that carrageenan, a type of sulfated polysaccharide extracted from red algae, is an extremely potent infection inhibitor for a broad range of sexually transmitted HPVs. Although carrageenan can inhibit herpes simplex viruses and some strains of HIV in vitro, genital HPVs are about a thousand-fold more susceptible, with 50% inhibitory doses in the low ng/ml range. Carrageenan acts primarily by preventing the binding of HPV virions to cells. This finding is consistent with the fact that carrageenan resembles heparan sulfate, an HPV cell-attachment factor. However, carrageenan is three orders of magnitude more potent than heparin, a form of cell-free heparan sulfate that has been regarded as a highly effective model HPV inhibitor. Carrageenan can also block HPV infection through a second, postattachment heparan sulfate–independent effect. Carrageenan is in widespread commercial use as a thickener in a variety of cosmetic and food products, ranging from sexual lubricants to infant feeding formulas. Some of these products block HPV infectivity in vitro, even when diluted a million-fold. Clinical trials are needed to determine whether carrageenan-based products are effective as topical microbicides against genital HPVs.

【 授权许可】

CC BY