Genetic defects in the nef gene are associated with Korean Red Ginseng intake: monitoring of nef sequence polymorphisms over 20 years

Abstract Background The presence of gross deletions in the human immunodeficiency virus nef gene (gΔ nef ) is associated with long-term nonprogression of infected patients. Here, we investigated how quickly genetic defects in the nef gene are associated with Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) intake in 10 long-term slow progressors. Methods This study was divided into three phases over a 20-yr period; baseline, KRG intake alone, and KRG plus highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART). nef gene amplicons were obtained using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested PCR from 10 long-term slow progressors ( n  = 1,396), and nested PCR from 36 control patients ( n  = 198), and 28 ART patients ( n  = 157), and these were then sequenced. The proportion of gΔ nef , premature stop codons, and not in-frame insertion or deletion of a nucleotide was compared between three phases, control, and ART patients. Results The proportion of defective nef genes was significantly higher in on-KRG patients (15.6%) than in baseline (5.7%), control (5.6%), on-KRG plus ART phase (7.8%), and on-ART patients (6.6%; p p p nef and small in-frame deletions after 7 mo and 67 mo of KRG intake, respectively. Conclusion KRG treatment might induce genetic defects in the nef gene. This report provides new insight into the importance of genetic defects in the pathogenesis of AIDS.