A powerful new inhibitor of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), derived from bananas, may open the door to novel cures to put a stop to sexual transmission of HIV, a new research has said.

Researchers have an emerging interest in lectins, naturally occurring chemicals in plants, because of their capability to block the chain of reaction, which results in a range of infections.

In laboratory examinations, BanLec, the lectin detected in bananas, was as powerful as two existing anti-HIV medications.

New methods of blockading the HIV spread are vitally required.

The rate of new HIV infections is exceeding the rate of new patients getting anti-retroviral drugs by 2.5 to 1, and presently it looks an effectual vaccine is just few years away.

Study author David Marvovitz, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan (U-M), said, "HIV is still rampant in the US and the explosion in poorer countries continues to be a bad problem because of tremendous human suffering and the cost of treating it."

The new study delineates the multifaceted actions of lectins and their capability to outsmart HIV. Lectins are sugar-binding proteins. They can discover foreign invaders like a virus.

The research group found that BanLec can suppress HIV infection by binding to the sugar-rich HIV-1 envelope protein, gp120, and block its entry to the body. (With Input from Agencies)