No Effect of Pegylated Interferon-α on Total HIV-1 DNA Load in HIV-1/HCV Coinfected Patients

J Infect Dis. 2018 May 25;217(12):1883-1888. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiy131.

Abstract

Pegylated interferon-alpha (pIFN-α) is suggested to lower human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) DNA load in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-treated patients. We studied kinetics of HIV-1 DNA levels in 40 HIV-1/hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfected patients, treated with pIFN-α for HCV and categorized into 3 groups according to start of ART: chronic HIV-1 infection (n = 22), acute HIV-1 infection (n = 8), no-ART (n = 10). Total HIV-1 DNA levels in 247 peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples were stable before, during, and after pIFN-α treatment in all groups. Our results question the benefit of pIFN-α as an immunotherapeutic agent for reducing the HIV-1 reservoir.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use
  • Coinfection / drug therapy*
  • Coinfection / virology
  • DNA, Viral / drug effects*
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / drug therapy*
  • HIV Infections / virology
  • HIV-1 / drug effects
  • Hepacivirus / drug effects
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / drug therapy*
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / virology
  • Humans
  • Interferon-alpha / therapeutic use*
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / drug effects
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / virology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Viral Load / drug effects*

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • DNA, Viral
  • Interferon-alpha