s-c-i-guy:Altered milk protein can deliver AIDS drug to infantsA novel method of altering a protein

s-c-i-guy:Altered milk protein can deliver AIDS drug to infantsA novel method of altering a protein in milk to bind with an antiretroviral drug promises to greatly improve treatment for infants and young children suffering from HIV/AIDS, according to a researcher in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences.That’s critical because an estimated 3.4 million children are living with HIV/AIDS, the World Health Organization reports, and nine out of 10 of them live in resource-limited countries in sub-Saharan Africa, where effective antiretroviral treatments still are not widely accessible or available. International medical experts believe less than a third of affected children worldwide receive an antiretroviral drug.Complicating treatment is that most antiretroviral drugs are not well tolerated by very young children. One of the most commonly prescribed antiretroviral drugs for treating and preventing HIV infection, Ritonavir, has undesirable side effects and important oral-delivery problems. Its physicochemical properties challenge its administration to infants, explained Federico Harte, associate professor of food science.“Ritonavir has a high hydrophobicity and low solubility in water, which lead to a low dissolution rate in the gastrointestinal fluid and, hence, to insufficient bioavailability. The liquid formulation used to treat infants over one month of age contains 43 percent ethanol and has an awful flavor that has been described as bitter-metallic, medicinal, astringent, sour and burning,” he said.“Moreover, when coming into contact with the stomach mucosa, Ritonavir causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Therefore, we need to develop alternative pediatric formulations of Ritonavir and overcome its poor water solubility to improve its oral administration to infants and children.”To solve that problem, Harte looked to a group of proteins in cow’s milk celled caseins. Casein proteins form spherical aggregates called casein micelles, which are responsible, incidentally, for the white color of milk. The casein micelles in mammals’ milk are natural delivery systems for amino acids and calcium from mother to young, and Harte reasoned, might deliver Ritonavir molecules as well.read more -- source link

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