Recent Reports relating to HIV and Whey Proteins

Updated June 2003

During the past several years there have been several reports that whey proteins can be beneficial to patients with HIV infections.

Supplementation with whey proteins provided an increase in the plasma glutathione in with 30 patients with advance HIV infections, and the treatment was well tolerated. During a two week trial, the commercial source of protein did influence the extent of increase in plasma glutathione levels. (Micke, et al., 2001, 2002). Whey protein also has been shown to improve muscle strength in women with HIV (Agin, et al., 2001)

Lactoferrin, but not casein or casein peptides, has been shown to be inhibitory to HIV virus (Berkhout, et al., 2003).

Ng et al. 2001 evaluated a number of bovine milk proteins for activity agains HIV-1 ensymes considered to be important to the life cycles of the HIV virus. Different enzymes had different effects of the different enzymes, with all be inhibitory to some degree for all 3 enzymes assayed. [Abstract: Different proteins have been isolated from bovine milk including lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase, glycolactin, angiogenin-1, lactogenin, alpha-lactalbumin, lactoglobulin and casein. These proteins have been assayed for inhibitory activity against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase, protease and integrase, enzymes crucial to the HIV-1 life cycle.Lactoferrin strongly inhibited HIV-1 reverse transcriptase but only slightly inhibited HIV-1 protease and integrase. On the other hand, alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin and casein inhibited HIV-1 protease and integrase to an appreciable extent but did not inhibit HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. Glycolactin and angiogenin-1 suppressed the activity of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase to a moderate extent but more powerfully inhibited HIV-1 protease and integrase. In comparison with the other milk proteins, glycolactin was a strong inhibitor of HIV-1 protease and integrase and a moderate inhibitor of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. Lactogenin was a strong inhibitor of HIV-1 integrase, a moderate inhibitor of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase and a weak inhibitor of HIV-1 protease.]

References:

Agin, D, Gallagher, D., Wang, J, Heymsfield, S.B., Pierson, R. N. & Kottler, D.P. (2001) Effect of whey protein and resistant exercise of body cell mass, muscle strength and quality of life in women with HIV. AIDS 15(18) 2431-2440.

Berkhout, Ben, van Wamel, Jeroen L.B.^, Beljaars, Leonie^, Meijer, Dirk K.F., Visser, Servaas^, & Floris, René (2003) Characterization of the anti-HIV effects of native lactoferrin and other milk proteins and protein-derived peptides. Antiviral Research 55:341-355.

Micke, P, Beeh, K.M. & Buhl, R. (2002) Effect of long term supplementation with whey proteins on plasma glutathione levels of HIV infected patients. European Journal of Nutrition 41:12-18.

Miche, P., Beeh, K.M., Schlaak, J.F & Buhl, R. (2001) Oral supplementation with whey proteins increases plasma glutathione levels of HIV infected patients. European Journal of Journal Clinical Investigation. 31(2): 171-178.

Meijer-DKF; Heeswijk-RPG-van; Swart-PJ; Beljaars-L; Huisman-JG; Koenderman-A; The-TH; Harmsen-MC; Floris-R; Berg-JJM-van-den; Smit-C; Bakker-H; Strate-BWA-van-der; Kuipers-ME; Jansen-RW; Molema-G; Berkhout-B; der-Strate-BWA-van; van-Heeswijk-RPG; van-den-Berg-JJM; van-der-Strate-BWA (2001) Charge-modified plasma and milk proteins that interfere with HIV and CMV/target cell binding and fusion. Recent-Developments-in-Antiviral-Research. 2001, 1: 81-115.

Ng-TB; Lam-TL; Au-TK; Ye-XY; Wan-CC (2001) Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase, protease and integrase by bovine milk proteins. Life-Sciences. 69: 19, 2217-2223

van der Strate, B.W.A.; Beljaars, L.; Molema, G.; Harmsen, M.C.; Meijer, D.K.F. (2001)Antiviral activities of lactoferrin Antiviral Research 52(3): 225-239

(2002) Journal of Human Virology (5)1 [reported by whey protein institute www.wheyoflife.org]

Wang-HeXiang; Ye-XiuYun; Ng-TB; Wang-HX; Ye-XY (2000) First demonstration of an inhibitory activity of milk proteins against human immunodeficiency virus-1 reverse transcriptase and the effect of succinylation.
Life-Sciences. 2000, 67: 22, 2745-2752;

Ye-XY; Ng-TB Purification and characterization of glycolactin, a novel glycoprotein from bovine milk. Life-Sciences. 2000, 66: 13, 1177-1186