The effect of a year of highly active antiretroviral therapy on immune reconstruction and cytokines in HIV/AIDS patients

摘要

To investigate the effect of a year of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on immune reconstruction and cytokine production in HIV/AIDS patients, 35 AIDS patients were recruited for HAART treatment and 35 healthy volunteers were assigned as controls. The dynamic changes in HIV load, blood T cell subset counts, as well as interleukin (IL)-12, interferon (IFN)-γ, and interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) levels in AIDS patients were evaluated before HAART and at 6 and 12 months after therapy. Our results revealed that HIV virus load in HIV/AIDS patients was reduced below the detectable limit after patients received 6 months of HAART. CD3+CD4+, CD4 +CD45RA+62L+, and CD4+CD45RO + T cells were found to be significantly decreased in HIV/AIDS patients compared to the healthy controls, but increased after HAART. CD3 +CD8+ and CD8+CD38+ cells were found to be increased in HIV/AIDS patients but decreased after HAART. Plasma IL-12 and IFN-γ levels were lower but IP-10 level was higher in AIDS patients compared to controls. HAART significantly improved IL-12 and IFN- γ levels but reduced IP-10 level in AIDS patients (p0.01). CD4 +CD45RA+62L+ and CD4+CD45RO + T cells were positively correlated with plasma IL-12/IFN-γ levels (p0.05), but negatively correlated with plasma IP-10 level. However, CD3+CD8+ cells were negatively correlated with plasma IL-12 and IFN-γ levels, but positively correlated with IP-10 level (p0.05). HAART benefits HIV/AIDS patients by not only inhibiting virus replication but also by contributing to immune reconstruction, such as restoring subsets of T cells and adjusting cytokine production in HIV/AIDS patients.