High circulating SDF-1and MCP-1 levels and genetic variations in CXCL12, CCL2 and CCR5: Prognostic signature of immune recovery status in treated HIV-positive patients

Association Between Herpes Simplex Virus II Infection and Rheumatoid Arthritis in US Adults: A Population-Based Propensity Score-Matching Study

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE

The potential correlation between herpes simplex virus (HSV) and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has not been definitively established. Further research is needed to determine the relationship between the development of RA and the presence of these viral infections.

METHODS

A case-control study was conducted with data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2009 and 2014. Our analysis examined the association between HSV I, HSV II, HPV oral polymerase chain reaction (PCR), HPV vaginal PCR, and RA. We identified adults aged 20 to 49 years with a primary diagnosis of RA using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database codes (MCQ191 = 1 [years 2009-2010]; MCQ195 = 2 [years 2011-2014]) and excluded patients with incomplete data on key variables and primary outcomes.

RESULTS

The study included 8620 patients, with 150 patients diagnosed with RA and 1500 patients without RA. Patients with RA had a significantly higher prevalence of HSV II infection compared with those without RA (36.34% vs. 24.72%, p = 0.015) after propensity score matching. No significant differences were observed for HSV I, HPV oral PCR, and HPV vaginal PCR between the 2 groups. Patients with RA were older; were more likely to be female, obese, and non-Hispanic White; and had a higher prevalence of comorbidities than those without RA.

CONCLUSIONS

This population-based propensity score-matching study provides evidence of an association between HSV II infection and RA in US adults. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the relationship between viral infections and RA, with the aim of developing effective risk reduction strategies and innovative treatments for RA.

Evaluation of Proinflammatory Chemokines in HIV Patients with Asymptomatic Leishmania Infantum Infection

Asymptomatic Leishmania infantum, when associated with HIV, can become severe and potentially fatal. In this co-infection, the worst prognosis may be influenced by the host's immunological aspects, which are crucial in determining susceptibility. Chemokines play an important role in this process by influencing the cellular composition at affected sites and impacting the disease's outcome. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate proinflammatory chemokines in HIV patients with the asymptomatic L. infantum infection. In this cross-sectional study, the levels of CCL2, CCL5, CXCL8, MIG, and IP-10 were measured in 160 serum samples from co-infected patients (n = 53), patients with HIV (n = 90), and negative controls (n = 17). Quantification was determined by flow cytometry. The obtained data were statistically analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by the Dunn's post-test and the Spearman's correlation coefficient. Significance was set at p < 0.05. The chemokines CCL2, CCL5, MIG, and IP-10 exhibited higher levels in the HIV group compared to co-infection. However, the elevated levels of all these chemokines and their increased connectivity in co-infected patients appear to be important in identifying proinflammatory immune responses associated with the asymptomatic condition. Furthermore, a weak negative correlation was observed between higher levels of CXCL8 and lower viral loads in co-infected patients.

Multi-omics in HIV: searching insights to understand immunological non-response in PLHIV

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) induces persistent suppression of HIV-1 replication and gradual recovery of T-cell counts, and consequently, morbidity and mortality from HIV-related illnesses have been significantly reduced. However, in approximately 30% of people living with HIV (PLHIV) on ART, CD4+ T-cell counts fail to normalize despite ART and complete suppression of HIV viral load, resulting in severe immune dysfunction, which may represent an increased risk of clinical progression to AIDS and non-AIDS events as well as increased mortality. These patients are referred to as "immune inadequate responders", "immunodiscordant responders" or "immune nonresponders (INR)". The molecular mechanisms underlying poor CD4+ T-cell recovery are still unclear. In this sense, the use of omics sciences has shed light on possible factors involved in the activity and metabolic dysregulation of immune cells during the failure of CD4+ T-cell recovery in INR. Moreover, identification of key molecules by omics approaches allows for the proposal of potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets to improve CD4+ T-cell recovery and the quality of life of these patients. Hence, this review aimed to summarize the information obtained through different omics concerning the molecular factors and pathways associated with the INR phenotype to better understand the complexity of this immunological status in HIV infection.

Development trends of immune activation during HIV infection in recent three decades: a bibliometric analysis based on CiteSpace

This study aimed to evaluate and pinpoint the status, hot areas, and frontiers of immune activation during HIV infection utilizing CiteSpace. From 1990 to 2022, we searched for studies on immune activation during HIV infection in the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace was used to visually analyze the publications to identify the research status and pertinent research hotspots and frontiers in terms of the countries, institutions, authors, references, journals, and keywords. The Web of Science Core Collection yielded 5321 articles on immune activation during HIV infection. With 2854 and 364 articles, the United States and the University of California, San Francisco were the leading nation and institution in this domain. Steven G. Deeks has published 95 papers and is the most published author. The top cited articles on microbial translocation as a significant factor during HIV infection were published by Brenchley et al. Research on molecular/biology/genetics is often referenced in publications in the journals of molecular/biology/immunology. Inflammation, risk, mortality, cardiovascular disease, persistence, and biomarkers will be high-frequency words that are hot topics of research. According to the results, there was a strong collaboration between countries and organizations but little collaboration among authors. Molecular biology, immunology, and medicine are the main study subjects. The current hot topics in research are inflammation, risk, mortality, cardiovascular disease, persistence, and biomarkers. Future studies should concentrate on reducing the pathological changes caused by inflammation and altering the mechanisms of immune activation to reduce the size of the viral reservoir.

New genetic and epigenetic insights into the chemokine system: the latest discoveries aiding progression toward precision medicine

Over the past thirty years, the importance of chemokines and their seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) has been increasingly recognized. Chemokine interactions with receptors trigger signaling pathway activity to form a network fundamental to diverse immune processes, including host homeostasis and responses to disease. Genetic and nongenetic regulation of both the expression and structure of chemokines and receptors conveys chemokine functional heterogeneity. Imbalances and defects in the system contribute to the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases, including cancer, immune and inflammatory diseases, and metabolic and neurological disorders, which render the system a focus of studies aiming to discover therapies and important biomarkers. The integrated view of chemokine biology underpinning divergence and plasticity has provided insights into immune dysfunction in disease states, including, among others, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this review, by reporting the latest advances in chemokine biology and results from analyses of a plethora of sequencing-based datasets, we outline recent advances in the understanding of the genetic variations and nongenetic heterogeneity of chemokines and receptors and provide an updated view of their contribution to the pathophysiological network, focusing on chemokine-mediated inflammation and cancer. Clarification of the molecular basis of dynamic chemokine-receptor interactions will help advance the understanding of chemokine biology to achieve precision medicine application in the clinic.

Impact of the MCP-1-2518A>G polymorphism on COVID-19 severity in the Iranian population: A case-control study

As a result of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the host's immune system is disrupted, and chemokines and cytokines are intensified to eliminate the virus, resulting in cytokine storm syndrome and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Patients with COVID-19 have been observed to have elevated levels of MCP-1, a chemokine associated with the severity of the disease. In some diseases, polymorphisms in the regulatory region of the MCP-1 gene correspond to serum levels and disease severity. An attempt was made in this study to assess the relationship between MCP-1 G-2518A and serum MCP-1 levels in Iranian COVID-19 patients and the severity of the disease. In this study, patients were randomly sampled from outpatients on the first day of diagnosis and from inpatients on the first day of their hospitalization. Patients were classified into the outpatient (without symptoms or with mild symptoms) and inpatient (with moderate, severe, and critical symptoms) groups. The serum level of MCP-1 was measured by ELISA and the frequency of MCP-1 G-2518A gene polymorphism genotypes in COVID-19 patients was checked by the RFLP-PCR method. Participants with COVID-19 infection had a higher rate of underlying diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease than the control group (P-value < 0.001). Also, the frequency of these factors in inpatients was significantly higher compared to outpatients (P-value < 0.001). Additionally, the level of MCP-1 in serum was significantly different with an average of 11.90 in comparison to 2.98 in the control group (P-value, 0.05), which is attributed to elevated serum levels among patients in hospitals with an average of 11.72 in comparison to 2.98 in the control group. Compared with outpatients, inpatients had a higher frequency of the G allele of the MCP-1-2518 polymorphism (P-value < 0.05), while a notable difference was observed in the serum level of MCP-1 in COVID-19 patients with the MCP-1-2518 AA genotype in the whole group in comparison to the control group (P-value: 0.024). Totally, the results showed that a high frequency of the G allele is related to hospitalization and poor outcome in COVID-19 cases.

The cytokine/chemokine response in Leishmania/HIV infection and co-infection

HIV infection progressively weakens the immune system by infecting and destroying cells involved in host defense. Viral infection symptoms are generated and aggravated as immunosuppression progresses, triggered by the presence of opportunistic infections: among these is leishmaniasis, a disease caused by the intracellular parasite Leishmania. The incidence of this co-infection is growing progressively due to the geographic distribution overlap. Both pathogens infect monocytes/macrophages and dendritic cells, although they can also modulate the activity of other cells without co-infecting, such as T and B lymphocytes. Leishmania/HIV co-infection could be described as a system comprising modulations of cell surface molecule expression, production of soluble factors, and intracellular death activities, leading ultimately to the potentiation of infectivity, replication, and spread of both pathogens. This review describes the cytokine/chemokine response in Leishmania/HIV infection and co-infection, discussing how these molecules modulate the course of the disease and analyzing the therapeutic potential of targeting this network.

CCR5∆32 and SDF1 3'A: Gene Variants, Expression and Influence on Biological Markers for the Clinical Progression to AIDS among HIV-1 Virus Controllers in a Mixed Population of the Amazon Region of Brazil

CCR5Δ32 and SDF1-3'A polymorphisms were investigated in a cohort of viremia controllers, without the use of therapy, along with their influence on CD4+ T lymphocytes (TLs), CD8+ TLs, and plasma viral load (VL). The samples were analyzed from 32 HIV-1-infected individuals classified as viremia controllers 1 and 2 and viremia non-controllers, from both sexes, mostly heterosexuals, paired with 300 individuals from a control group. CCR5∆32 polymorphism was identified by PCR amplification of a fragment of 189 bp for the wild-type allele and 157 bp for the allele with the ∆32 deletion. SDF1-3'A polymorphism was identified by PCR, followed by enzymatic digestion (restriction fragment length polymorphism) with the Msp I enzyme. The relative quantification of gene expression was performed by real-time PCR. The distribution of allele and genotype frequencies did not show significant differences between the groups. The gene expression of CCR5 and SDF1 was not different between the profiles of AIDS progression. There was no significant correlation between the progression markers (CD4+ TL/CD8+ TL and VL) and the CCR5∆32 polymorphism carrier status. The 3'A allele variant was associated with a marked loss of CD4+ TLs and a higher plasma VL. Neither CCR5∆32 nor SDF1-3'A was associated with viremia control or the controlling phenotype.

Effect of Combined Antiretroviral Therapy on the Levels of Selected Parameters Reflecting Metabolic and Inflammatory Disturbances in HIV-Infected Patients

Subjects infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treated with combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) show a greater predisposition to metabolic disturbances compared to the general population. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of cART on the level of selected parameters related to carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, cardiovascular diseases and inflammation in the plasma of HIV-infected patients against the uninfected. The levels of irisin (IRS), myostatin (MSTN), peptide YY (PYY), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-4), fetuin A (FETU-A), pentraxin 3 (PTX 3), chemokine stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), and regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) in the plasma of HIV-infected patients and the control group were measured by immunoassay methods. HIV-infected patients were analyzed in terms of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cell count, HIV RNA viral load, and the type of therapeutic regimen containing either protease inhibitors (PIs) or integrase transfer inhibitors (INSTIs). The analysis of HIV-infected patients before and after cART against the control group showed statistically significant differences for the following parameters: IRS (p = 0.02), MSTN (p = 0.03), PYY (p = 0.03), GLP-1 (p = 0.03), PTX3 (p = 0.03), and RANTES (p = 0.02), but no significant differences were found for DPP-4, FETU-A, and SDF-1. Comparing the two applied therapeutic regimens, higher levels of all tested parameters were shown in HIV-infected patients treated with INSTIs compared to HIV-infected patients treated with PIs, but the differences were not statistically significant. The obtained results indicated significant changes in the expression of selected parameters in the course of HIV infection and cART. There is need for further research on the clinical usefulness of the selected parameters and for new information on the pathogenesis of HIV-related comorbidities to be provided. The obtained data may allow for better monitoring of the course of HIV infection and optimization of therapy in order to prevent the development of comorbidities as a result of long-term use of cART.

Evolution of Serum Acute-Phase Glycoproteins Assessed by 1H-NMR in HIV Elite Controllers

Elite controllers (ECs) are an exceptional group of people living with HIV (PLWH) who maintain undetectable viral loads (VLs) despite not being on antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, this phenotype is heterogeneous, with some of these subjects losing virological control over time. In this longitudinal retrospective study, serum acute-phase glycoprotein profile assessed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H-NMR) was determined in 11 transient controllers (TCs) who spontaneously lost virological control and 11 persistent controllers (PCs) who persistently maintained virological control over time. Both PCs and TCs showed similar acute-phase glycoprotein profiles, even when TCs lost the virological control (GlycB, p = 0.824 and GlycA, p = 0.710), and the serum acute-phase glycoprotein signature in PCs did not differ from that in HIV-negative subjects (GlycB, p = 0.151 and GlycA, p = 0.243). Differences in serum glycoproteins A and B were significant only in ECs compared to HIV-typical progressors (TPs) with < 100 CD4+ T-cells (p < 0.001). ¹H-NMR acute-phase glycoprotein profile does not distinguish TCs form PCs before the loss of viral control. ECs maintain a low-grade inflammatory state compared to TPs. PCs revealed a closer serum signature to HIV-negative subjects, reaffirming this phenotype as a closer model of functional control of HIV.

Strategies and progress in CXCR4-targeted anti-HIV therapeutic development

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has been a global public health challenge for several decades. The majority of HIV infection is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) which enters and infects a host cell via the cell surface proteins of CD4 as the primary receptor, and chemokine receptors CXCR4 or CCR5 as the co-receptor-then undergoing replication using the cell's intracellular machinery. Whereas many drugs targeting CCR5-mediated entry or HIV-1 replication via reverse transcriptase or proteases have long been used clinically, agents targeting CXCR4 are yet to be advanced to clinical application. Here in this review we highlight some of the strategies for and progress made in the discovery of novel small molecules, peptides, and larger molecules that target CXCR4, and their future prospects for translation into the clinic as a new class of anti-HIV therapeutics.