Critical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine, Vol 4, 475-478, Copyright © 1993 by International & American Associations for Dental Research
Effects of human salivas on recombinant HIV-1 proteins
D. W. Archibald, C. A. Hebert, K. L. Gregory and G. K. Lewis
Department of Oral Pathology, University of Maryland Dental School, Baltimore.
Human saliva appears to contain factors that are inhibitory to HIV-1
infectivity in vitro. We investigated the effect of incubating human whole,
parotid, labial minor salivary gland and sublingual/submandibular salivas
with recombinant HIV-1 envelope protein (gp160). Saliva/gp160 mixtures were
run on polyacrylamide gels, transferred to nitrocellulose, and assayed for
the presence of gp160 using monoclonal antibodies or HIV-1-positive sera.
Incubation of the gp160 with whole saliva reduced the intensity of gp160
bands to 35% of control values. Minor salivary gland saliva reduced the
band intensities to 65% of control values, while other saliva types
diminished gp160 to 75% of control values. Protease inhibitors had no
effect. Components of untreated whole human saliva prevent the detection of
the HIV-1 envelope protein gp160 by antibodies to gp120 and gp41 in
immunoblots. The results suggest that complexes between whole saliva
factors and certain domains of gp160 block monoclonal antibody binding or
are unable to migrate through polyacrylamide gels.
