Decrease in Immune Activation in HIV-Infected Patients Treated with Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Correlates with the Function of Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells and the Number of Niave CD4⁺ Cells

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the impact of immune activation, cytokine production and apoptosis on the naive CD4⁺ cell count and the function of hematopoietic progenitor cells during the initial phase of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Blood samples from 11 HIV-infected patients were collected prior to HAART and after 4 and 12 weeks of therapy. Flow cytometry was used to determine the naive CD4⁺ count and activated T cells. The cloning efficiency of progenitor cells was determined using a colony-forming cells assay. Finally, apoptosis and cytokine production were determined. During the study period, the naive CD4⁺ count and the cloning efficiency increased significantly. Immune activation was found in HIV-infected patients and decreased during HAART. The level of immune activation correlated negatively with both the naive CD4⁺ count and the function of progenitor cells. A negative correlation was found between apoptosis and the naive CD4⁺ count. Alterations in cytokine production during HAART or correlation between cytokine production and the naive CD4⁺ count or the cloning efficiency of progenitor cells were not detected. In conclusion, immune activation in HIV-infected patients treated with HAART is inversely correlated with the function of progenitor cells and the naive CD4⁺ count.