Subject: Japanese Antiviral Discovery, & Acidophilus Date: May 22 1987 (261 lines) &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& J O H N J A M E S writes on A I D S &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& copyright 1987 by John S. James; permission granted for non-commercial use. By John S. James Published in SAN FRANCISCO SENTINEL, May 22, 1987; also published as AIDS TREATMENT NEWS # 32, same date. CONTENTS: Japanese antiviral discovery Acidophilus Short notes Major AIDS conference June 1-5, Washington DC New FDA treatment rules "Red tape" demonstrations June 1 Japanese Antiviral Discovery A medical professor has found that a combination of two com- monly used intravenous drugs completely stops replication of the AIDS virus in the test tubes. The discovery is unknown in the U. S. ; this article is the only information so far published in English. The discoverer believes the combination would probably work as an AIDS treatment, at about a tenth the cost of AZT. Other physicians contacted by the writer urge caution, however, as the drugs would be dangerous for some patients and may not be feasi- ble for long-term use. This treatment has never been tried in people. While physicians could easily administer it today, there are no plans for clinical trials, in Japan or anywhere else. This writer learned about the discovery from James Palaz- zolo, a professional Japanese translator with an interest in AIDS. Mr. Palazzolo scans Japanese publications looking for information which may not be available in the U. S. He found this news in the April 12, 1987 Mainichi Shimbun, one of Japan's major newspapers; later he interviewed the discoverer by telephone. Here is Mr. Palazzolo's translation of the newspaper article, plus notes of the phone interview. "Dextran Sulfate and Heparin Discovered to Inhibit HIV" "Assistant Professor Masahiko Itoh (Microbiology) of the Fukushima Prefectural Medical College has discovered that the combination of dextran sulfate, a drug used in the treatment of arteriosclerosis, and heparin, an anti-coagulant, work synergist- ically to inhibit the replication of the AIDS virus in the test tube. Professor Itoh added that "these drugs are cheaper and have fewer side effects that AZT, a widely used drug in the U. S. which is effective in prolonging the lives of AIDS patients. Although clinical trials will be necessary, it is hoped that this combination will be effective in prolonging life when used in conjunction with an immune booster." "Assistant Professor Itoh first noticed that the combination of dextran sulfate and heparin worked to prevent the replication of the herpes virus. Cells (M01 T-4) of the same antigenicity as the lymphocytes which HIV infects were infected with HIV and various concentrations of dextran sulfate and heparin were added. The temperature was maintained close to body temperature at 37 degrees and the cells were cultured for 7 to 10 days. Cells cul- tured with either dextran sulfate or heparin expanded and were destroyed. In contrast to this, viral replication was completely inhibited when a dextran sulfate concentration of 12.5 micrograms per milliliter and a heparin concentration of 15 micrograms per milliliter were added and the cells continued to live. Further- more, cell toxicity which indicates possible side effects did not appear, even when concentrations up to 4 milligrams per millil- iter were added. "Assistant Professor Itoh added that "This drug combination has few side effects compared to AZT which suppresses the produc- tion of blood by the bone marrow and I believe this drug combina- tion could cost hundreds of dollars instead of the thousands of dollars required for AZT. " The newspaper included pictures of the T-cells with and without the treatment. In Mr. Palazzolo's later phone interview, Assistant Profes- sor Itoh made the following points: * The heparin stops reverse transcriptase. No one knows what the dextran sulfate does. * Nothing has been published in English. Nothing has been published in Japanese, except for the above story which was car- ried on a major news service there. It will be "quite a while" before the technical paper is finished; he doesn't know when. * Of the two kinds of dextran sulfate -- low and high molec- ular weight -- Itoh suspects that both will work. He could not tell us which kind he used, because that information must appear first in his paper. * There are no plans for clinical trials in Japan. Assistant Professor Itoh is willing to answer letters from U. S. physicians considering clinical use here. He does not speak English, but Mr. Palazzolo has offered to translate. U. S. Reactions We spoke with two U. S. physicians while researching this article. James Campbell, M. D., head of the research committee of the Bay Area Physicians for Human Rights, cautioned about practical problems with the dextran-heparin treatment. "It would have to be administered intravenously long term, as the retrovirus can reactivate. And both medications are anticoagulants, which could cause bleeding problems, especially with this group of patients. Certainly it would be worthwhile to investigate further and find the basis of any antiviral effect." The other physician also expressed concern about the need to continue intravenous use of the drugs. Scientific Background Both dextran and heparin are "polysaccharides" -- chemicals composed of long chains of various sugar molecules. Scientists are also considering other polysaccharides as possible AIDS treatments, mostly immune modulators; examples are glucan, len- tinan (derived from the shiitake mushroom), and possibly other chemicals from different medicinal fungi. Many different laboratory studies have used both dextran sulfate and heparin together. None of them, so far as we know, looked for an antiviral effect. But the dextran/heparin combina- tion had other results of scientific or clinical relevance. For example, here are the titles of four of over 100 scientific arti- cles published in the last eight years which concern both dextran sulfate and heparin in some way: * "Thrombin inhibitory activity of heparin cofactor II depends on the molecular weight and sulfate amount of dextran sulfate." * "Abolition by dextran sulfate of the heparin-accelerated antithrombin III/thrombin reaction." * "Inhibition by heparin and dextran sulfate of stimulated rat pancreatic adenylate cyclase." * "Heparin and dextran sulfate antagonize PGL2 inhibition of platelet aggregation." These articles, and dozens of others about heparin and dex- tran together, may give scientists a head start in understanding the antiviral effect -- and perhaps improving on it. For com- plete references, call John S. James at (415) XXX-XXXX. ****** Acidophilus: for Diarrhea or Thrush? Acidophilus, used in milk in grocery stores and also sold in concentrated form as a health-food product, consists of billions of live, beneficial bacteria, taken to change the flora of the digestive system and help crowd out harmful organisms. Most phy- sicians do not take acidophilus very seriously, but regard it as a health food and do not mention it to their patients; you will probably not hear about it from your doctor. But some physicians do recommend it for their AIDS patients, and recently we have been hearing of a number of persons who are convinced that it has helped them in controlling diarrhea and/or candida (thrush) in the digestive tract. We don't know of any scientific studies which would prove or disprove these uses; but acidophilus is readily available, inex- pensive, easy to use, and evidently helpful to some. It appears to be entirely harmless, but patients should check with their physicians to make sure there are no reasons to avoid trying it. The several people we talked to made the following points: * There are many different kinds of acidophilus, as dozens of different kinds of organisms could be used. Most brands con- tain only one organism (usually L. Acidophilus), but some formu- las contain several different ones. * Perhaps most important, the people this writer spoke with recommended using a non-dairy acidophilus -- since persons with AIDS-related digestive problems may have allergies to dairy pro- ducts. * This writer is reluctant to name particular brands. How- ever, we have heard highly favorable comments about 'Jarro- Dophilus', produced by Jarrow Formulas in Gardena, California. It is unusual in containing five different organisms (L. Rham- nosus, S. Faecium 68, L. Acidophilus ATCC, L. Bifidus, and L. Bulgaricus). This brand is sold in health-food stores, or can be ordered wholesale from Jarrow Formulas, (213)659-4754, if not available locally. * Robert Cathcart, M. D., of Los Altos, California, who is well known for his work with vitamin C in the treatment of AIDS and ARC, uses a different brand of acidophilus (Vital Life), which is sold through physicians and unlikely to be found in stores. Patients often start with three organisms (L. Acido- philus, L. Bifidus, and S. Faecium), then continue with L. Acido- philus only. Short Notes Major AIDS Conference June 1-5, Washington DC. "III Inter- national Conference on AIDS", the major scientific conference of the year, will meet next week at the Washington Hilton and Towers Hotel in Washington, DC. If you want to attend, general regis- tration is $250.00; it might or might not still be possible to register at the door. You can call the conference at (202) 639- 5179. AIDS Treatment News will be there and will be reporting new information in future issues. New FDA Treatment Rules. A major rule change may allow per- sons with AIDS or other serious or life-threatening diseases much more access to experimental new drugs. Contrary to widespread press reports, it is not true that these rules only apply to per- sons believed to be within six months of death. Comment: This important advance resulted from public pres- sure; and without continuing pressure it will mean little or nothing. The rule goes into effect in 30 days -- but whether or not patients get appropriate treatment depends on how it is implemented. It is urgent that physicians, medical organiza- tions, AIDS service organizations inform themselves about these rules and serve as advocates to protect the interests of persons who are ill. Nationwide "Red Tape" protests June 1. Demonstrations against unconscionable delays in AIDS research and treatment availability will take place June 1 in Washington D. C. and several other cities -- including Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Both legal picketing and nonviolent civil disobedi- ence have been planned. Supporters anywhere can wear red tape or a red armband to show solidarity. For more information, you can call the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, (202) 783-1828. ***** [Obsolete subscription information has been removed. See the latest issues for up-to-date information. -- sysop] &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& End of display