HAART Restore the CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells (Tregs) Frequency Among HIV/AIDS Patients

Aims: HIV infection is a secondary immunodeficiency disorder associated with loss ofCD4+Tcells and immune suppression. Tregs are immune suppressive cells and involved in peripheral tolerance. Tregs expressCD4+CD25+ on the surface and Foxp3+ internally. Relative frequency of Tregs during HIV/AIDS is not fully known. CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Tcells (Tregs) play a vital role in peripheral tolerance but its role during HIV/AIDS is not fully known. Hence this study was conducted with the aim to characterize the Tregs frequency among HIV patients and healthy controls. Study design: Cross sectional study Place and Duration of study: Department of Microbiology, University of Madras, chennai and Government Hospital Of Thoracic Medicine, Chennai between October 2012 to December 2013. Methodology: 108 individuals comprising of 71 HIV positive patients (44 patients undergoing HAART and 27 without HAART) and 37 were HIV negative healthy controls were enrolled in this study. PBMCs were isolated and stained with CD4/FITC, CD25/APC, FoxP3/PE antibodies (BD Pharmingen) and analyzed for Tregs frequency by flow cytometry (BD FACSCalibur). Results: Our study showed that healthy controls had a Tregs frequency of 4.1%. When Tregs frequency analysed among HIV/AIDS patients who are yet to receive HAART we found a significant reduction in Tregs population i.e. 1.2%. Encouragingly this deep plunge in Tregs population was found to be restored and surged upon HAART upto 12.6%. There was no difference when compared between gender or age or absolute CD4 count. Conclusion: HAART is known to decrease viral load and improve the patient’s CD4 cells count. Here we report that HAART has improved not only the CD4 cells but also the Tregs frequency.

Author(s): H. Durgadevi, M. Suthandhira, O. R Krishnarajasekar, C. Chandrasekar, K. Raja, B. Rayvathy, V. Gopinath, Sowmya Swaminathan, Luke Elizabeth Hanna, S. Anbalagan, J. Sathyavathi, N. Rohan, R. Gopinath, and Elanchezhiyan Manickan

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