Objective: Evaluate the expression of B and T cell immunomodulatory molecules in polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) in HIV-infected patients.
Methods: HIV load, bacterial translocation and neutrophils' expression of T [programmed death ligand, interleukin-10+, arginase 1+] and B [BAFF, APRIL] molecules were analyzed in different cohorts and time points: a control group of 25 healthy individuals and two groups of HIV-infected patients. Group 1 of patients included 35 untreated patients, studied at baseline and after antiretroviral therapy (ART). Group 2 was composed of 25 patients with undetectable viral load after a median of 101 months of ART prior to inclusion in the study.
Results: Compared with the control group, group 1 patients showed increased bacterial translocation and their PMN had a significantly higher expression of T and B-cell immunomodulatory molecules, both at baseline and after 12 months of ART. Group 2 patients showed reduced bacterial translocation levels when compared with group 1 patients after 12 months of treatment. PMN expression of B-cell modulators was similar between group 2 patients and healthy controls, although the expression of T-cell modulators remained increased.
Conclusion: In HIV-infected patients, the expression of B-cell stimulatory and T-cell suppressive molecules by neutrophils was increased at baseline and after a limited time of therapy. After a prolonged period of ART, only PMNs expression of T-cell immunosuppressive molecules remained elevated.
Keywords: APRIL; BAFF; HIV; PDL-1; arginase-1; bacterial translocation; interleukins; neutrophils.
Copyright © 2021 Márquez-Coello, Ruiz-Sánchez, Martín-Aspas, Fernández Gutiérrez Del Álamo, Illanes-Álvarez, Cuesta-Sancho and Girón-González.