Cycling of gut mucosal CD4+ T cells decreases after prolonged anti-retroviral therapy and is associated with plasma LPS levels

• DOI: 10.1038/mi.2009.129
• Publication Date: 2009-12-02T15:21:08Z
• Authors: E J Ciccone; S W Read; P J Mannon; M D Yao; J N Hodge; R Dewar; C L Chairez; M A Proschan; J A Kovacs; I Sereti
• Keywords: Adult; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Lipopolysaccharides; 0303 health sciences; Time Factors; Colon; Cell Cycle; Down-Regulation; HIV Infections; Middle Aged; Flow Cytometry; Article; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Anti-Retroviral Agents; Ileum; Humans; Intestinal Mucosa

The gut mucosa is an important site of HIV immunopathogenesis with severe depletion of CD4+ T cells occurring during acute infection. The effect of prolonged anti-retroviral therapy (ART) on cycling and restoration of T lymphocytes in the gut remains unclear. Colon and terminal ileal biopsies and peripheral blood samples were collected from viremic, untreated, HIV-infected participants, patients treated with prolonged ART (>5 years), and uninfected controls and analyzed by flow cytometry. In the gut, the proportion of cycling T cells decreased and the number of CD4+ T cells normalized in treated patients in parallel with beta 7 expression on CD4+ T cells in blood. Cycling of gut T cells in viremic patients was associated with increased plasma LPS levels, but not colonic HIV-RNA. These data suggest that gut T-cell activation and microbial translocation may be interconnected whereas prolonged ART may decrease activation and restore gut CD4+ T cells.