AEGiS-AP: Common Seaweed Extract To Be Tested As A Vaginal Gel For Blocking AIDS Virus

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1994. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Common Seaweed Extract To Be Tested As A Vaginal Gel For Blocking AIDS Virus

Associated Press, Health & Science, Saturday, May 21, 1994
Paul Recer, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON--A seaweed extract commonly used in ice cream and candy is to be tested as a vaginal gel that could block the AIDS virus and allow women to protect themselves from infected sexual partners.

Dr. Christopher J. Elias of the Population Council said Friday that his organization will apply to the Food and Drug Administration this summer for authority to test a substance called carrageenan as an AIDS-blocking vaginal gel.

Elias said carrageenan has been shown in laboratory tests to prevent human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, from infecting cells of the type that line the vagina. He said the substance has been tested in rabbits and is ready for human trials.

Carrageenan is widely used in cosmetics, soups, ice creams and candies and is generally regarded to be safe, Elias said. It is extracted from seaweed as a white powder and will turn into a gel when added to water, he said.

Elias said carrageenan appears to be so safe that eventually it probably could be sold over the counter as a vaginal gel, just as some vaginal products are now sold.

Nevertheless, carrageenan will have to undergo extensive testing in human subjects before its effectiveness against HIV is proven.

"I would guess that it will take about seven years if everything goes well," Elias said.

The Population Council is an international nonprofit organization that conducts research on problems of reproduction and overpopulation. Elias is a scientist in the council's Center for Biomedical Research.

Elias said tests show carrageenan gel tends to stick to cells and virus particles, giving each surface a negative electrical charge. As a result, the cells and particles repel each other. He said this has been shown in test tube experiments to prevent the HIV virus from fusing with cells-keeping them from becoming infected.

And, yet, said Leslie R. Wolfe, director of the Center for Women Policy Studies, giving women a means of protecting themselves against HIV without requiring the agreement of their sexual partner may be a key part of stopping the AIDs epidemic.

"It may do for HIV what the birth-control pill did for women against pregnancy--putting the control in the hands of women," Wolfe said.

What women need, Wolfe said, is a "stealth method" of HIV protection-- a foam, gel or some other substance that a woman can control and that is odorless, colorless and not detectable.

The fastest growing population of AIDS patients in the ignited States is among women who have been infected by male sexual partners, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Copyright (c) 1994 - Associated Press. Reproduced with Permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.

940521
AP940501

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Elton John AIDS Foundation UK, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1994. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1994. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .