Abstract
Nineteen HIV-seropositive antiretroviral therapy-naive and asymptomatic individuals (200-500 CD4/μl) were enrolled in a prospective study aimed at analyzing the immunologic and virologic effects of two different combinations of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (AZT+ddI and AZT+3TC), and randomly assigned to one of the treatment group. Immunologic (CD4 and CD8 counts, mitogen-stimulated cytokine production, unstimulated and mitogen-stimulated apoptosis) and virologic (HIV viral load) determinations were performed pre-therapy and 15, 30, 90, 200 and 360 days after initiation of therapy. Results showed that the two combinations had comparable effects on increasing CD4 counts and the CD4/CD8 ratio and in reducing HIV viral load. In contrast, AZT+3TC was more efficient in improving interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon gamma (IFNγ) production as well as the type 1/type 2 cytokine ratio and in down modulating the susceptibility of peripheral blood mononuclear cells to in vitro mitogen-stimulated apoptotic cell death. These data suggest that the combination of AZT+3TC has a stronger effect on potentially beneficial immune parameters (IL-2 production; reduction of apoptosis) than the one between AZT+ddI. The combination of AZT+3TC could be more advantageous in the therapy of HIV infection even when used in association with a protease inhibitor. Copyright (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 171-179 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Antiviral Research |
Volume | 46 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jun 1 2000 |
Keywords
- Antiviral therapy
- Apoptosis
- Cytokine
- HIV infection
- Immunology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Virology
- Pharmacology