Study to Evaluate Safety and Toxicity of Polyphenon E (EGCG) in HIV-1-Infected Individuals

The purpose of this study is to determine the safety, toxicity, dosing, and antiviral effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in capsule form (Polyphenon® E), administered orally twice daily at three different doses in HIV-1-infected clinically stable, treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced adults not on concomitant antiretroviral (ARV) therapy.

HIV-1 infection ultimately results in impaired specific immune function by virtue of the initial binding of the HIV-1 virion envelope glycoprotein 120 (gp120) to the CD4 receptor in complex with a chemokine receptor on the T-cell surface1. Even though gp120 elicits virus-neutralizing antibodies, HIV-1 eludes the immune system and leads to the onset of AIDS. Ever since the discovery of the virus as the causative agent, there has been an intense effort to develop therapeutic methods to inhibit or prevent infection.2-4 CD4, a cell surface glycoprotein expressed on T cells, plays an important role in the recognition of antigens by T cells and in their activation.5 It also acts as a receptor for HIV-1 as gp120 binds to it via its D1 domain and, uses this interaction to infect CD4+ T cells.5 Therefore, there has been interest in finding molecules that block the binding of gp120 to CD4 (entry inhibitors) as a way of reducing HIV-1 infectivity. Studies have demonstrated evidence of high affinity binding of EGCG to the CD4 molecule with a Kd of 10nM with subsequent inhibition of gp120 binding to human CD4+ T cells. EGCG binds in the same molecular pocket on CD4, as does HIV-1-gp120 at physiologically relevant concentrations. This is a phase I, placebo-controlled, dose-blinded, randomized study of Polyphenon® E as monotherapy in participants who are HIV-1-infected with a CD+ T lymphocyte count of at least 250 cells/mm3 and are ARV-naïve or ARV-experienced. There will be 3 dose levels and for each dose level, there will be 6 subjects who will receive the study drug and 2 subjects who will be randomized to take placebo. Dosing will be escalated sequentially contingent on the safety profile of previous doses. Safety data from all participants receiving Polyphenon® E in the preceding dose level will be evaluated and considered acceptable prior to escalation to the next higher dose. PK analyses will be also performed as each dose level is completed. If at least 4 subjects on the active drug in each dose level have evaluable PK data, subjects will not be replaced. As the inability to achieve adequate EGCG concentrations that are necessary to inhibit HIV-1 replication is a major concern in this study, it is necessary to confirm EGCG pharmacokinetics in the event that the primary outcome measure of virologic response is not observed for each dose level. For each PK visit on Study Days 1 and 14, a total of 10 blood samples will be obtained per subject. If only a few samples cannot be used (this depends on the individual subject's pharmacokinetic profile, although one or two unevaluable samples will not likely cause a subject's data to be unevaluable), PK analyses can still be performed and will not require subjects to be deemed unevaluable and replaced.