STUDYOFT CELLSUBSETSANDIL-7 INHIV-1-INFECTEDPATIENTS AFTER7 YEARSHAART

Objective:To study the changes in T cell subsets and IL-7 in HIV-1-infected patients after seven years of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Methods:Seventy-five individuals were included in this study (25 with effective HAART, 18 with ineffective HAART, 17 without antiviral therapy, and 15 healthy people). The counts of CD4 + , CD8 + , CD8/CD38 + , and CD8/HLADR + T cells, and the expression of CD127 on CD3 + T cells were measured by flow cytometry. The concentration of IL-7 was measured by ELISA. Results:The pretherapy CD4 + T cell counts of HIV-1-infected patients were lower than that in the controls (p 0.05). In the ineffective HAART group, the CD8/CD38 + T cell count had not decreased significantly, and CD8/ HLADR + T cell count gradually decreased. Before treatment, IL-7 serum levels of patients were significantly higher than that in the controls (p< 0.01). After seven years of effective HAART, IL-7 levels had gradually decreased, but were still higher than in the controls (p< 0.01). The CD127 expression on CD3 + CD8 + T cells in effective HAART patients was higher than in untreated patients (p< 0.05), but was lower than that in the controls (p< 0.05). CD127 expression on CD3 + CD4 + T cells was not significantly different among the control group, untreated group and effective HAART group. Conclusion:After seven years of effective HAART, the quantity and capacity of T cell subsets and IL-7 in HIV-1-infected patients had been partially restored, and the abnormal immune activation has significantly diminished.