Hydrogen sulphide gas can help in fight against HIV infection, find Bengaluru scientists

Researchers in Bengaluru have found that hydrogen sulphide (H2S) gas can suppress the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

Increased H2S was found to have a direct effect on reducing the rate at which the virus multiplies in HIV-infected human immune cells. The finding paves the way for developing a more comprehensive antiretroviral therapy against HIV.

Current state-of-the-art combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) can only suppress the virus and cause it to become latent. In a percentage of cases, cART is ineffective even when patients fully follow their drug regimen.

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At its worst, the antiretroviral therapy also carries a battery of side-effects such as the build-up of toxic molecules leading to “oxidative stress” and a loss of function in the mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouse. These effects can contribute to inflammation and organ damage.

Researchers at the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology (MCB) and the Centre for Infectious Disease Research (CIDR) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), along with collaborators from the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), began considering H2S as a potential suppressant of HIV following findings of earlier studies.

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According to Associate Professor Amit Singh of MCB/CIDR and corresponding author of this study, previous research conducted by his lab in 2015 had resulted in the creation of a tool to measure oxidative stress in cells infected with HIV.

“In that work, we showed that the chemical agent N-acetylcysteine was able to suppress HIV reactivation from latently infected cells,” he said, and also pointed to a 2018 German study which showed that N-acetylcysteine was acting as a suppressant by releasing H2S molecules.

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This “is when we began examining its role,” he added.

He told DH that the long-term goals are to use H2S along with antiretroviral therapy to see if HIV can be locked into long-term latency. “This will be tried in clinical trials at some stage whereby the intention is to see if HIV sufferers can get off antiretroviral therapy without having the virus rebound,” he said.

PhD student Virender Kumar Pal of MCB is the first author of this study. The results are published in the journal eLife.

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