title: Effect of antiviral therapy on pro-angiogenic hematopoietic and endothelial progenitor cells in HIV-infected people.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  HIV infection is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. HIV-sustained impairment of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) could contribute to this process, so that it is important to assess whether antiviral therapy (ART) is able to revert these abnormalities.
  
  
  METHODS
  We quantified in 21 naïves and 34 treated patients two functionally distinct clonogenic progenitors which have been acknowledged important for vascular repair: the hematopoietic progenitor colony forming unit - endothelial cells (CFU-EC) and the true endothelial progenitor, the endothelial colony forming cells (ECFC). We correlated results obtained with conventional vascular risk factors and with HIV-related parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that these progenitors behaved differently in naive and treated patients. In particular, CFU-EC level was significantly low in all naive patients and slowly recovered during ART. In contrast, the ECFC level was abnormally high in naive patients while it decreased upon ART. The CFU-EC level was related to conventional cardiovascular risk factors, as reported in general population, but also to inflammatory indexes and CD4 cell count. In contrast, the ECFC number was exclusively related to viral replication activity and to CD4 cell count.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In HIV-infected people, the levels of CFU-EC and ECFC are related to classical cardiovascular risk factors but, in addition, they are also significantly influenced by the infection itself and by antiviral therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Disease University G. D'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Jacopo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vecchiet
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Iachininoto
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Capodimonti
authors.forename: Eugenia Rosa
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Nuzzolo
authors.forename: Katia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Falasca
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mancino
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Antonio Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ucciferri
authors.forename: Luigi Maria
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Larocca
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Teofili
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D012307:Risk Factors; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents