Background:
Serum cytokine levels over the course of HIV infection usually increase
with immunosuppression and decrease after antiretroviral treatment (ART).
Objectives:
The aim of the study is to compare cytokine levels between HIV-infected patients (HIP)
and controls and investigate the relationship between CD4+T cell count, HIV-RNA levels, and cytokine
levels.
Methods:
The study subjects comprised ART-naive HIP (n=30) with no comorbidities and age-and
sex-matched healthy controls. We measured levels of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ in serum samples
of HIP at the beginning and at month 6 of ART and in controls.
Results:
The mean age of the study subjects was 38.7 ±10.3 years, with men making up 86.7% of the
study subjects (n=26). IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α levels were significantly higher in both ART-naive
(p<0.001, p=0.002, p=0.001) and ART-experienced HIP (p<0.001) than controls. The IFN-γ level was
lower in both ART-naive and ART-experienced HIP compared to controls (p=0.082 and p=0.002).
There was a positive correlation between the CD4+T cell count and serum concentration of IFN-
γ(r=0.320, p<0.05). While the serum IFN-γ concentration showed a negative correlation with the HIVRNA
level(r=-0.412, p<0.001), the serum IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α concentrations showed a positive
correlation with the HIV-RNA level (r=0.349, p<0.001; r:0.54, p<0.001; r:0.438, p<0.00).
Conclusions:
Although serum concentrations of IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α showed a significant decrease
after ART, they were still significantly higher than the controls. IFN-γ responded differently
to ART compared to the other cytokines, indicating that it may play a distinct and important role in
the pathogenesis of HIV infection.
