The potential of plant systems to break the HIV‐TB link

Abstract

Summary Tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can place a major burden on healthcare systems and constitute the main challenges of diagnostic and therapeutic programmes. Infection with HIV is the most common cause of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which can accelerate the risk of latent TB reactivation by 20‐fold. Similarly, TB is considered the most relevant factor predisposing individuals to HIV infection. Thus, both pathogens can augment one another in a synergetic manner, accelerating the failure of immunological functions and resulting in subsequent death in the absence of treatment. Synergistic approaches involving the treatment of HIV as a tool to combat TB and vice versa are thus required in regions with a high burden of HIV and TB infection. In this context, plant systems are considered a promising approach for combatting HIV and TB in a resource‐limited setting because plant‐made drugs can be produced efficiently and inexpensively in developing countries and could be shared by the available agricultural infrastructure without the expensive requirement needed for cold chain storage and transportation. Moreover, the use of natural products from medicinal plants can eliminate the concerns associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) and anti‐TB therapy (ATT), including drug interactions, drug‐related toxicity and multidrug resistance. In this review, we highlight the potential of plant system as a promising approach for the production of relevant pharmaceuticals for HIV and TB treatment. However, in the cases of HIV and TB, none of the plant‐made pharmaceuticals have been approved for clinical use. Limitations in reaching these goals are discussed.

Expression of ESAT‐6 antigen from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in broccoli: An edible plant

“…Neonatal BCG gives effective results against pulmonary TB when it is administered to the children but failing to protect adults against pulmonary TB and in some cases injurious to immunocompromised individuals . In addition, TB is one of the major cause of death of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐infected individuals, reaching up to 374,000 deaths .…”

Virus-based pharmaceutical production in plants: an opportunity to reduce health problems in Africa

“…Approximately 70% of HIV-infected people live in Africa [1]. In addition, HIV and tuberculosis are often associated diseases in developing countries, and both these diseases reciprocally promote illness and threats to life [2].…”

Early Stage Development of a Newcastle Disease Vaccine Candidate in Corn

“…The oral administration of plant-derived antigens against different diseases has previously been reported by many authors ( 6 , 15 , 35 – 39 ). The immunogenic response generated against many orally administered proteins of pathogens after expression in transgenic plants ( 8 , 33 ) has encouraged study on the expression of other antigens in plants, with defined goals of edible vaccine development ( 40 ). We demonstrate the cloning, expression, and immunogenicity of the F and HN immunodominant glycoproteins from NDV in transgenic maize plants, as previously described ( 17 , 41 – 43 ).…”

“…Serum specific F and HN antibodies were determined through ELISA as mention in protocols by Habibi et al ( 33 ) and Xiao and Daniell ( 34 ). In order to confirm the presence of F and HN specific antibodies in the sera of immunized animals, briefly; a microtiter plate was coated with 0.5 ug of purified F and HN proteins diluted in PBS, kept at 4°C for 24 h. Next, the previously obtained serum was added in each well for IgY antibody determination and incubated for an hour.…”