Synthetic mucus-inspired lubricating gel proves highly effective against HIV and herpes

"The promising results raise hope that if or when this gel becomes available as a product, it could help reverse troubling trends in the spread of sexually transmitted infections," says the study's corresponding author, Hongji Yan, a biomaterials researcher at KTH and affiliated researcher at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet.

The lubricant is derived from mucin, a main component of mucus that is produced in the human body, though suppliers provide the bovine type in purified form for fabrication of hydrogels.

In our body, mucin molecules can bind to and trap virus particles, which are then cleared through active mucus turnover. The synthetic gel replicates this self-healing function, which is a key material property that enables mucus’ lubricity and prophylaxis against infection. The viral prophylactic tests were conducted in a lab on several types of cells.

"The natural complexity of the mucin molecules is why the synthetic gel is so effective at stopping the HIV and herpes without the risk of side effects or development of resistance as with other antiviral compounds. Such functions would be difficult to achieve with a polymer made from scratch", says Hongji Yan. 

Greater control of sexual health

AIDS, the disease caused by HIV, remains a significant global epidemic, and adolescent girls and young women are twice as likely as men to acquire HIV-1 from an infected partner during unprotected intercourse, according to UNAIDS.