HIV production from purified monocytes isolated from antiretroviral-naïve and protease inhibitor-treated HIV-1-infected patients.
OBJECTIVE
We obtained peripheral blood monocytes from HIV-1-infected patients and differentiated them into macrophages in vitro to investigate the contribution of purified monocytes to plasma viremia in HIV-infected patients.


METHODS
We compared the production of HIV-1 from purified monocytes isolated from patients who were receiving antiviral therapy to those who were not. We obtained monocytes from 29 antiretroviral-naïve (ARVN) patients and 35 protease inhibitor (PI)-treated HIV-infected patients (20 with undetectable plasma HIV). Cells were cultured with phorbol myristate acetate to induce HIV replication.


RESULTS
HIV p24 core antigen was present in supernatants of 9/29 (31%) of ARVN patients (mean = 102 pg/mL). In contrast to ARVN patients, p24 was not found in supernatants of any PI-treated patient (p =.01). Thus, purified monocytes from some ARVN patients produce HIV, but we were unable to detect HIV production from monocytes from PI-treated patients, regardless of their virologic response.


CONCLUSIONS
Monocytes may contribute to plasma viremia in ARVN patients but may not do so in PI-treated patients.
Kazanjian
Powel
P
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor 48109, USA. pkazanji@umich.edu
Adams
Donna
D
Tate
Stacey
S
Newman
Gale
G
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24 / Q000097:blood; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology*; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000821:virology*; D019562:Viral Load
D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors