Lectins as Promising Therapeutics for the Prevention and Treatment of HIV and Other Potential Coinfections

Mazalovska, Milena; Kouokam, J. Calvin

Lectins are a unique and heterologous class of proteins with the ability to recognize and reversibly bind a variety of sugar structures present on the cell surface [10] . They are found in a wide range of organisms, from viruses and bacteria to animals, plants, and humans [11] . The broad distribution in nature shows that lectins have important biological functions in the corresponding organisms, including cellcell interactions, protection from pathogens, cell adhesion, and intracellular translocation of glycoproteins, also acting as storage proteins [12] [13] [14] . Interestingly, multiple lectins have been shown to neutralize a number of viruses, including HIV, making them attractive targets for the development of novel antiviral drugs [15] . Moreover, considering their mechanisms of action, increasing evidence suggests that lectins could also target other groups of pathogens, including prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. This review summarizes the currently available findings demonstrating that lectins can be considered promising means to combat the HIV pandemic as well as concomitant infections in HIV infected individuals, providing affordable regimens for prevention and/or treatment.