title: Spontaneous apoptosis and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).
abstract: Increased programmed cell death (PCD) or apoptosis has been detected in the T cells of HIV-infected subjects; it is held partially responsible for the continuous loss of CD4+ T cells during the natural course of HIV infection. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) decreases the viral load and leads to an increase of CD4+ count in vivo. In this study we evaluated PCD in total peripheral blood mononuclear cells, CD8+ and CD4+ lymphocytes before and four weeks after initiation of HAART. Seven HIV-1-infected patients were investigated. Viral load was assessed by RT-polymerase chain reaction and PCD by flow cytometry using apoptosis by 7 amino actinomycin D (7AAD) and propidium iodide (PI). After four weeks of HAART, CD4+ T and CD8+ T cell levels were stable, and plasma HIV-RNA copies were significantly decreased. In four of the patients (4/7), HIV-RNA levels were reduced to undetectable levels (fewer than 400 copies per milliliter). A statistically significant reduction of apoptosis among CD4+ cells was observed (P < 0.03), though neither in the CD8+ T cell population nor in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCS). These results demonstrate the beneficial effect of HAART on apoptosis of CD4+ cells in the early treatment stage.
authors.affiliation: Centre National de Transfusion Sanguine du Sénégal, Dakar.
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Dieye
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Van Vooren
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Delforge
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liesnard
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Devleeschouwer
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Farber
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004396:Coloring Agents; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011419:Propidium; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D012367:RNA, Viral; D003609:Dactinomycin; D011419:Propidium; C025942:7-aminoactinomycin D