Anti-SIV Potency of a Broad Spectrum Chemokine Receptors Inhibitor，vMIP-II In Vivo

Viral macrophage inflammatory protein II(vMIP-II) encoded by Human herpesvirus 8 is a potent antagonist of various chemokine receptors,which are believed to be co-receptors for Human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) entry of different strains.Although it is known as a broad-spectrum HIV entry inhibitor,the exact anti-HIV mechansim of vMIP-II has been rarely reported,especially in vivo studies.In the present study,the well-established SIVmac251-infected cynomolgus monkey model was used to study the anti-HIV potential of vMIP-II in vivo.It was shown that vMIP-II caused rapid and significant decrease in plasma viral loads in a dose-dependent manner,which was comparable to that of positive control.Meanwhile,vMIP-II was found to protect the host immune function.In summary,these results indicate that vMIP-II is a potent anti-HIV agent and provides further rational to develop entry inhibitor.