For now, the conference had to be satisfied with the usual collection of surfactants and buffers, whose general mechanisms of action do not depend on the specific steps in HIV s interaction with its target cells. These compounds are still the only compounds in human testing.
Surfactants are detergents that disrupt microbial and sperm membranes by emulsification.
Surfactant-containing creams and gels have the advantage of being very broad in their killing ability, but they can damage cell membranes as well as those of the unwanted pathogens. A common observation has been that N-9 causes thinning of vaginal walls. The mouse experiments were part of research on protection against herpes simplex virus. In that case, N-9 seemed to promote death from Herpes simplex even when very low amounts were applied rectally. Rather than protecting against viral infections, N-9 leaves a large area especially susceptible to them.