Impact of Q-Griffithsin anti-HIV microbicide gel in non-human primates: In situ analyses of epithelial and immune cell markers in rectal mucosa.

ABSTRACT: Natural-product derived lectins can function as potent viral inhibitors with minimal toxicity as shown in vitro and in small animal models. We here assessed the effect of rectal application of an anti-HIV lectin-based microbicide Q-Griffithsin (Q-GRFT) in rectal tissue samples from rhesus macaques. E-cadherin⁺ cells, CD4⁺ cells and total mucosal cells were assessed using in situ staining combined with a novel customized digital image analysis platform. Variations in cell numbers between baseline, placebo and Q-GRFT treated samples were analyzed using random intercept linear mixed effect models. The frequencies of rectal E-cadherin⁺ cells remained stable despite multiple tissue samplings and Q-GRFT gel (0.1%, 0.3% and 1%, respectively) treatment. Whereas sin

SUBMITTER: Gunaydın G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6889265 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature