title: Morphine effects on HTLV-I infection in the presence or absence of concurrent HIV-1 infection.
abstract: Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) infection is emerging as an important complication in HIV infection and AIDS in injecting drug users. HIV-1 and HTLV-I share a common host in CD4+ T lymphocytes. However, the result of HIV-1 infection is the decimation of this cell population, whereas a hallmark of HTLV-I infection is the inappropriate proliferation of infected cells. Combined epidemiologic data suggest that HTLV-I infection is enhanced during concurrent HIV-1/HTLV-I infection; however, there are currently no in vitro studies focusing on the effects of drugs of abuse on retrovirus coinfection. We have found that in an in vitro coinfection system (HIV-1 + HTLV-I), morphine treatment further enhanced the levels of HTLV-I p19. In addition, indicators of in vitro infection by cell-free HIV-1 were reduced by morphine treatment in both single and dual in vitro infection experiments. Interleukin 2 levels in the affected cultures were found to increase with combined HTLV-I infection and morphine treatment. These in vitro results indicate the need to further explore the activity of HTLV-I within opiate-treated cells, as this oncoretrovirus appears to be especially sensitive to morphine-induced alterations to its host cell environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa 33612, USA.
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Nyland
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Specter
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Ugen
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic / Q000096:biosynthesis; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D015683:Gene Products, gag; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C060955:p19 protein, Human T-lymphotropic virus 1; D009020:Morphine