08/25/1994

AU Scientist Finds Possible Treatment for AIDS, Animal Retroviruses

AUBURN, Ala. - An Auburn University scientist has discovered a plant extract that destroys retroviruses, a finding that could be used to treat AIDS and many major animal diseases.

Emilio C. Mora, a professor of microbiology in the AU Department of Poultry Science, isolated the antiviral plant material in February 1993. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirmed in tests last year and earlier this year that the compound, known as MLH-4, is "moderately active" in protecting white blood cells from HIV, the retrovirus that causes AIDS.

"As far as I know, MLH-4 is the first compound that actually destroys the virus," said Mora, whose research is supported by the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station. "There are many new compounds being tested to inhibit the process in which HIV infects white blood cells, but these don't kill the virus.

"In tests in our lab, MLH-4 disintegrated retroviruses in mice," Mora added. "Retroviruses are a broad family of viruses that infect humans and animals. Whether they cause AIDS or mouse leukemia, retroviruses are all very similar."

"For a new material to be classified as 'active' against HIV, it must be completely protective at a given concentration," said John Bader, chief of the NIH Anti-Viral Evaluation Branch. "Those categorized as moderately active either do not achieve complete protection or require a greater concentration.

"However, once a compound is well defined, it is sometimes possible to find an analogue (similar chemical) that is more potent," Bader added. "It is also possible that, once a material is resolved into its most active components, it could be chemically altered to enhance its activity against the virus. A long experimental process is required after the initial discovery of a promising new material."

Although NIH does not plan to perform secondary research on MLH-4, officials did request additional information on Mora's plant extract after its chemical structure is fully analyzed.

According to Bader, about 15,000 natural materials and 10,000 synthetic compounds are submitted to the national lab's AIDS drug discovery program for testing each year. So far, 1,038 have proven active, and 1,365 have been categorized as moderately active.

Mora will retire on Sept. 1 after serving 36 years on the Auburn faculty, but he plans to continue research to develop MLH-4 for future human and animal use. Once the chemical structure of MLH-4 is mapped out, Mora said he will submit the compound for patenting.

"Because of the necessary confidentiality surrounding patent application, I cannot discuss the nature of the plant that yielded MLH-4," Mora said.

"I have been working with plant material for more than 25 years, searching for compounds that can be used to treat human and animal diseases," Mora added. "The procedure basically involves observing how a plant grows. Specifically, does it seem to inhibit the growth of other plants? Does it appear to be resistant to disease? What is the duration of the plant's life? And, is the plant harmless to humans and animals?"

Once a promising plant is located, Mora screens its chemical components against disease-causing bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. Much of his work involves detailed studies with an electron microscope. Mora has isolated valuable antibacterial, antifungal, and antiparasitic compounds, but MLH-4 was the first antiviral material he discovered.

Mora tested MLH-4 against the retrovirus that causes leukemia in mice. MLH-4 weakened and broke apart the outer structures of the retrovirus, causing most of the virus' internal contents to empty out. Mora, an internationally respected expert in electron microscopy, was the first to capture images of retrovirus destruction with an electron microscope.

In humans, retroviruses create tumors in antibody-producing cells, thus damaging the immune system. In poultry, they cause various forms of cancer, costing producers millions of dollars a year. MLH-4 could benefit animal health care, as well as the war on AIDS, Mora said.

Mora is part of a poultry science research team which has developed several viral and bacterial vaccines for poultry. His research has played a major role in the development of the poultry industry in the Southeast.

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Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
by Robyn Hearn

August 25, 1994