Studies in a Murine Model Confirm the Safety of Griffithsin and Advocate Its Further Development as a Microbicide Targeting HIV-1 and Other Enveloped Viruses

Kouokam, Joseph Calvin; Lasnik, Amanda B.; Palmer, Kenneth E.

In a preliminary study, mice were injected with a single subcutaneous (s.c.) dose of 10 mg/kg GRFT. All animals survived the treatment after the two week observation period and their behavior (movement, activity, and grooming) was similar to that of mice treated with the PBS vehicle. Animal fitness was evaluated using body weight as a surrogate marker. One and two weeks after treatment, the GRFT group showed comparable body weights to control animals ( Figure 4A ). Organ toxicity was assessed in these studies by measuring organ weights at sacrifice. Hearts, lungs, livers, and kidneys were not affected by GRFT administration (data not shown). Spleen-to-body weight ratios were slightly elevated two weeks after treatment with 10 mg/kg GRFT (0.48% ± 0.10% vs. 0.44% ± 0.04% for PBS), but the difference was not significant ( Figure 4D ).