Cerulenin an inhibitor of fatty acid and sterol synthesis has been shown to inhibit the activity of synthetic HIV-1 protease Concentrations of cerulenin disolved in 20% DMSO ranging from 1.25 to ug/ml of media were assayed in HIV infected H9 cells. The results suggested that this agent was highly toxic to cells. However, inhibition of virus replication were shown in some experiments. Future experiments will focus on specifically delivering this agent using an immunoliposome to decrease toxicity.
