title: Role of antiretroviral regimes in HIV-1 patients in reducing immune activation.
abstract: We assessed whether antiretroviral regimes are able to diminish apoptosis and markers of lymphocyte activation and restore lymphocyte proliferation. T-cell subset, spontaneous and induced apoptosis, CD95 and soluble Fas antigen and cell proliferation were analysed in 41 human immunodeficiency virus type 1-positive patients. Twenty-five were in asymptomatic stage A and 16 were in stage B/C. Thirty-five received antiretroviral treatment: 18 received two inhibitors of reverse transcriptase and one protease inhibitor and 17 received three inhibitors of reverse transcriptase. Six patients did not receive treatment, for different reasons, but continued to participate in the study. Studies were performed at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. Levels of CD4 increased slightly until 6 months of antiretroviral treatment, as a whole, in all the patients treated. Naïve CD4 lymphocytes, as well as memory CD4 lymphocytes, remained constant. Spontaneous apoptosis of lymphocytes, after 72 hr of culture, decreased in all patients treated, but to a much smaller extent than phytohaemagglutinin-induced apoptosis. In both groups treated, levels of soluble Fas decreased until 6 months of treatment and then increased again. Lymphocyte proliferation reached normal levels after 1 year of treatment. In patients without treatment CD4 cells decreased slowly and no modification in activation markers was found. Antiretroviral regimes decrease immune activation as well as viral load and this deactivation restores lymphocyte proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, and Department of Infectious Diseases, Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jiménez
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Molero
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jiménez
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castañón
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Subirá
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Górgolas
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fedz-Guerrero
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: García
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000276:immunology; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D019562:Viral Load; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D019014:fas Receptor