Science / Medicine : Ocean Algae Extract Shows AIDS Promise

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute report that four fatty substances found in common ocean algae protected cells of the human immune system against attack by the AIDS virus. The extracts, called sulfolipids, come from the membranes of chlorophyll-containing cells and are found in many plants, algae and micro-organisms. Their viral-fighting ability had not been known before and was discovered in the cancer institute’s program to screen substances for potential AIDS-fighting ability, the researchers reported in last week’s Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

The NCI tests could not show how the sulfolipids protected against the human immunodeficiency virus, the team said, and compounds with similar chemical structures gave no protection against the virus. Because of the urgency for identification and testing of new anti-AIDS drugs, the NCI has selected the sulfolipid class as a high priority for further investigation, the scientists said.