Sodium Selenite Blocks HIV Latency and Enhances Cell Mediated Immunity
HAART, highly active antiretroviral therapy, is the current gold standard for the treatment of HIV infections. Unfortunately, these drugs are very expensive and somewhat toxic, especially to normal liver functioning. HAART drugs can reduce the level of HIV virus in the blood to very low levels, but they cannot "sterilize" the body of the HIV virus. Very early in all HIV infections, a state of viral latency is established in many immune cells. Latency means that the virus has infected various cells, but these cells do not produce virus. HAART cannot kill latently infected immune cells. The virus DNA, integrated into the DNA of the cells, remains inactive. This might seem like a good idea, but it is clearly not. If HAART therapy is terminated, many of these latent cells begin producing virus. As such, HAART therapy must be taken forever if an HIV "virus rebound" is to be prevented. This is unacceptable. HAART drugs are out of the price range of the poor. Secondarily, the body eventually develops a resistance to the efficacy of these drugs over time.
In reading "between the lines" of some scientific studies, we have developed a better treatment protocol for HIV infections.
The HIV gene is inactivated, i.e. it remains latent, if certain gene sequences become over methylated. DNA methylation is caused by the enzyme DNA methyltransferase.
The immune hormone TNF, a pro-inflammatory hormone that promotes HIV synthesis, activates latent HIV infections by inducing a demethylation of the HIV gene.
HIV viral proteins, early in infection, induce the synthesis of DNA methyltransferase enzymes resulting in the methylation of a wide variety of genes. One of these genes is the HIV gene itself, resulting in a state of viral latency. In addition, the gene for gamma interferon, a major activator of cell mediated immunity, is also methylated. This results in the inactivation of the gamma interferon gene and an impairment of a cell mediated immune response against virally infected cells.
Since the over methylation of genes, specifically those of tumor suppressors, is a major factor in the development of cancer, a great deal of research has been conducted on the development of synthetic DNA methyltransferase inhibitors. The following study shows that sodium selenite, a common supplement, is a specific inhibitor of DNA methyltransferase activity.
The dose is one milligram of sodium selenite a day, 5x 200 micrograms doses spread over 24 hours or so. Sodium selenite is the ONLY form of selenium that is acceptable.
When combined with HAART therapy, sodium selenite should be able to reactivate HIV latently infected cells. In addition, it promotes cell mediated immunity via the activation of the gamma interferon gene. Sodium selenite can also be used without HAART therapy as an inexpensive stand alone treatment for HIV infections. Only time, and volunteers, will be able to report the efficacy of sodium selenite as a treatment for HIV infections.
Stay tuned...
Grouppe Kurosawa, Medicine in the Public Interest
posted by Dr. Steve at 9:45 AM
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