In vivo anti-HIV activity of the heparin-activated serine protease inhibitor antithrombin III encapsulated in lymph-targeting immunoliposomes

PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e48234. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048234. Epub 2012 Nov 2.

Abstract

Endogenous serine protease inhibitors (serpins) are anti-inflammatory mediators with multiple biologic functions. Several serpins have been reported to modulate HIV pathogenesis, or exhibit potent anti-HIV activity in vitro, but the efficacy of serpins as therapeutic agents for HIV in vivo has not yet been demonstrated. In the present study, we show that heparin-activated antithrombin III (hep-ATIII), a member of the serpin family, significantly inhibits lentiviral replication in a non-human primate model. We further demonstrate greater than one log(10) reduction in plasma viremia in the nonhuman primate system by loading of hep-ATIII into anti-HLA-DR immunoliposomes, which target tissue reservoirs of viral replication. We also demonstrate the utility of hep-ATIIII as a potential salvage agent for HIV strains resistant to standard anti-retroviral treatment. Finally, we applied gene-expression arrays to analyze hep-ATIII-induced host cell interactomes and found that downstream of hep-ATIII, two independent gene networks were modulated by host factors prostaglandin synthetase-2, ERK1/2 and NFκB. Ultimately, understanding how serpins, such as hep-ATIII, regulate host responses during HIV infection may reveal new avenues for therapeutic intervention.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antithrombin III / pharmacology*
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / cytology
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • HIV Infections / drug therapy*
  • Heparin / chemistry*
  • Liposomes / metabolism
  • Lymph / metabolism*
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mice, SCID
  • Serine Proteinase Inhibitors / pharmacology*
  • Serpins / chemistry
  • Virus Replication

Substances

  • Liposomes
  • Serine Proteinase Inhibitors
  • Serpins
  • Antithrombin III
  • Heparin