Baron said that a product already being sold as a lubricant may have all the necessary properties to mimic saliva and help prevent the spread of the HIV virus, but he said he cannot say what the product is until the research is published. The gel is needed because the spermicide nonoxinol-9, currently used by some to try to prevent the spread of HIV, has not proven protective in humans, Baron said. He said nonoxinol-9 is effective in tissue cultures and lab animals, but it irritates human tissues. That irritation may actually make the tissue more susceptible to HIV, creating a portal through which the virus can enter the body. Offer some Feedback Return to The Reading Room .
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