Comparative in vitro study of contraceptive agents with anti-HIV activity: gramicidin, nonoxynol-9, and gossypol.

Gramicidin, a polypeptide antibiotic derived from Bacillus brevis, was compared in vitro with the established contraceptive virucidal agents nonoxynol-9 and gossypol for activity against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The effective antiviral 10 ng/ml concentration of gramicidin required for complete HIV inactivation was a thousand-fold lower than the dose observed for nonoxynol-9 or gossypol. Gramicidin, routinely used as a contraceptive agent in the former Soviet Union, should be considered for in vivo trials as a spermicide with potent antiviral activity.