CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Statin drugs that lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease may also help slow down HIV, Spanish researchers reported on Monday. Statins alone given to HIV-infected patients suppressed the virus and helped replenish CD4 cells--two key measures of health in patients with the virus. The drugs seem to stop the virus from infecting cells by blocking them from opening the cell membrane; the drugs also stop the virus from getting out of already-infected cells, the team at the Spanish Council for Scientific Research in Madrid reported. "Our results indicate that statins might be suitable antiretroviral drugs for more accessible AIDS treatment," the researchers report in Monday's edition of the Journal of Experimental Medicine. A multidrug regimen called highly active antiretroviral therapy can suppress the virus and allow the immune system to function, but the drugs are expensive and have side effects. One side effect is called lipodystrophy, a series of metabolic changes that can raise cholesterol levels and cause a redistribution of body fat. Patients with lipodystrophy are often given statins. Immunologist Gustavo del Real and colleagues wanted to see if the statins may themselves affect the course of infection. They first tested HIV-infected cells in a lab dish and then in mice. "Results suggest that HIV-1 entry into and exit from the host cell require actin cytoskeleton rearrangement and adequate cholesterol levels in host and viral membranes," they wrote in their report. The cytoskeleton is the structure of the cell itself. Then they tested six people infected with HIV who had not yet begun HAART. They got lovastatin for a month. Levels of the virus fell and CD4-cell counts went up. When the patients stopped taking the statin the viral levels rebounded, the researchers reported. "The data suggest that statins can inhibit HIV-1 replication in chronically infected individuals and support future clinical studies of statins as possible antiretroviral agents," the researchers conclude. (Reuters)
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
The North Face faces conservative boycott for sponsoring a queer summer camp (exclusive)
April 10 2024 8:26 AM
John Cena opens up about defending his gay brother when they were kids
April 09 2024 10:21 PM
Trans Latina Meraxes Medina killed in Los Angeles
April 09 2024 10:11 PM
Morgxn is proudly queering Southern music - here's how
April 09 2024 7:03 PM
Elon Musk uses burner accounts on X, doesn’t fact-check: report
April 09 2024 5:44 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedDiscover endless fun at The Pride Store: Games & electronics for all ages
April 09 2024 4:25 PM
Mean Girls' Daniel Franzese on playing an HIV+ character
April 09 2024 4:19 PM