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Tenofovir rectal microbicide safe; may have direct effect on tissues as well as virus
Gus Cairns, 2012-03-07 23:30:00
A gel containing 1% tenofovir formulated specifically for rectal use was much better tolerated than gels used in previous rectal microbicide trials when used in a safety study in 65 HIV-negative men and women, the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) heard yesterday.
The gel was also compared with other gels for any irritant or inflammatory effect on tissues. These tests included an in-depth ‘microarray’ analysis of a large panel of different human genes and uncovered a previously unsuspected effect: the tenofovir in the gel appeared to modulate the activity of a large number of genes in rectal tissue cells, primarily in the direction of reducing their activity.
Whether these genetic changes will have a synergistic or antagonistic effect on the efficacy of a tenofovir-based rectal microbicide is completely unknown as yet but illustrates that nucleoside antiretroviral drugs in topical formulations may have unexpected side-effects, as they do when used as treatment.
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