The researchers say melittin could now be used to create a vaginal gel that would stop the virus being passed between sexual partners.
During their study, they placed melittin in nanoparticles and attached them to special “bumpers” that stopped them destroying healthy cells. They found that melittin actually destroys HIV by puncturing its protective outer layer and stopping the infection from spreading.
The discovery is a potentially major breakthrough in the fight against HIV, the autoimmune disease that can leads to AIDS. Drug treatment for HIV at the moment concentrates simply on stopping the virus from replicating and growing but with a vaginal gel containing melittin, there is the possibility of halting the spread of HIV because the bee venom destroys the structure of the virus to stop infection occurring.
HIV infection is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa where the focus on stopping the spread of the infection is on promoting a safe sex message. Being able to offer women the chance to prevent infection through the application of a vaginal gel containing melittin would be one of the most encouraging pieces of news to come from HIV research in recent times.
While more research is required, the St Louis team believes nanoparticles filled with melittin could also kill cancer cells.