FIG. 5.

Effect of vaginal virucides on HIV-infected genital mucosa. Cervical explants were preincubated with the virucidal agent N-9 (1 μg/ml), GD (1 μg/ml), or PRO 2000 (100 μg/ml) for 1 h prior to overnight exposure to HIV-1 strain BaL (■; 10⁵ TCID₅₀/ml), SL2 (▨), 2044 (░⃞), or 2076 (▥) (all 10³ TCID₅₀/ml) in the continued presence of the virucidal agent. Explants were exposed to virus in a nonpolarized manner, allowing direct access to both subepithelial and epithelial cells. Following overnight exposure to viral inoculum, explants were washed extensively in PBS, stimulated by culture in the presence of PHA (5 μg/ml) for 2 days, subsequently refed with medium containing IL-2, and cultured for 14 days. Data represent percent inhibition of p24 production at day 14 of culture, compared to control cultures exposed to virus in the absence of virucidal agent, and are presented as the mean of five independent experiments using explants from separate donors. Detection of proviral DNA by PCR at the right is shown as number of experiments with detectable proviral DNA out of the total tested (limit of detection, 10 copies/explant).