Screening of an FDA-approved compound library identifies levosimendan as a novel anti-HIV-1 agent that inhibits viral transcription.

ABSTRACT: Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has been proven to efficiently inhibit ongoing replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), and significantly improve the health outcome in patients of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). However, cART is unable to cure HIV-1/AIDS. Even in presence of cART there exists a residual viremia, contributed from the viral reservoirs of latently infected HIV-1 proviruses; this constitutes a major hurdle. Currently, there are multiple strategies aimed at eliminating or permanently silence these HIV-1 latent reservoirs being intensely explored. One such strategy, a recently emerged "block and lock" approach is appealing. For this approach, so-called HIV-1 latency-promoting agents (LPAs) are used to reinforce viral latency and to preven

SUBMITTER: Hayashi T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5654649 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature