Hematopoietic growth factors as adjuncts to antiretroviral therapy

Anemia among HIV Infected Individuals Taking ART with and without Zidovudine at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background

Hematological complications such as Zidovudine(ZDV) associated anemia are among the commonly reported adverse drug reactions of Antiretroviral Therapy(ART). Little is known about ZDV associated anemia in developing countries like Ethiopia.

Methods

Comparative retrospective cohort study was conducted at the ART Clinic of St. Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College from February 2011 to December 2012 to characterize anemia among HIV/AIDS patients initiated with ZDV and non-ZDV containing ART regimens. In each group, 197 HIV infected adults who had complete medical records were included. Medical records of participants were reviewed using pre-tested data collection format. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 19 for windows. For all statistical significance tests, the cut-off value was P<0.05.

Results

Among ZDV group, anemia prevalence was 20.8 % (41/197), 33.5%(66 /197) and 13%(19/146) at baseline, six and twelve months of ART follow-up, respectively.On the other hand in non-ZDV group, anemia was present among 44.2% (87/197), 18.3% (36/197) and 12.4% (25 /202) of participants at baseline, six and twelve months of ART follow-up, respectively. After six months of follow-up, ZDV associated anemia was present among 32.7% (51/156) of the participants, and 43.1% of them were severe while about 45.2% were macrocytic type. Zidovudine group participants were 3.34 times more likely to develop severe anemia than non-ZDV group, P< 0.001.

Conclusion

The prevalence, severity and characteristics of anemia were different between ZDV and non-ZDV group participants at different follow-up periods of ART. Zidovudine had significant contribution to severe anemia incidence after six months of ART; thus, hemoglobin level monitoring with red cell indices is suggested for improved detection of zidovudine associated anemia.

Adverse drug reaction monitoring in patients on antiretroviral therapy in a tertiary care hospital in Eastern India

BACKGROUND

Besides unparalleled benefits, highly active antiretroviral therapy is also associated with wide range of potential adverse drug reactions (ADRs), which hinders treatment adherence. The present study was thus designed to monitor and explore the pattern of occurrence of ADRs to various antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens in a tertiary care ART setup.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A prospective, observational clinical study was carried out in the outpatient setting of nodal ART center of Eastern India. A total of 610 patients on various ART regimens were studied for suspected ADRs over 12 months. Adverse event history, medication history, and other relevant details were captured. Causality and severity of each reported ADR were duly assessed.

RESULTS

32.45% patients of total study participants presented with a total of 330 ADRs. Patients from zidovudine-based regimens presented with majority of ADRs such as anemia (up to 36%), central nervous system (CNS), and gastrointestinal (GI) side effects. Tenofovir-based regimens were, however, found to be mildly safer. The combination with Efavirenz was associated with majorly CNS side effects while that of nevirapine was associated with rash and pigmentation of nails. Atazanavir boosted second-line regimens were notably associated with increased serum lipid levels followed by other GI and CNS adverse effects. Increased liver enzymes were found in atazanavir-based second-line ART.

CONCLUSION

The study enables to obtain information on the incidence and pattern of ADRs associated with various antiretroviral regimens, thereby reducing its occurrence and protecting the patient population from avoidable harm. Need of intensive monitoring for ADRs in ARTs thus seems to be a mandate.

Common occurrence of anaemia at the end of pregnancy following exposure to zidovudine-free regimens

OBJECTIVE

Although zidovudine-free regimens are increasingly used in pregnancy, their haematological effects in mothers and newborns are incompletely defined.

METHODS

The haematological profiles of 119 HIV-infected women and their neonates with highly active antiretroviral regimens (HAART) in pregnancy including or not zidovudine (ZDV) were investigated. Three groups were compared: 1) women who started ZDV-lamivudine (3TC)-based HAART during pregnancy (ZDVs, n = 60); 2) women on ZDV-3TC-based HAART from conception (ZDVc, n = 18); 3) women on ZDV-free HAART from conception (ZDVf, n = 41).

RESULTS

At the beginning of pregnancy, haemoglobin levels were similar in the three groups. By week 36 compared to baseline, haemoglobin levels had a significantly greater decrease in ZDVf women compared to ZDVs women (ZDVf: -2.03 g/dl; ZDVs: -1.36 g/dl, p = 0.036). A similar trend was observed for occurrence of maternal anaemia at 36 weeks. Newborns with no prenatal ZDV exposure had significantly higher haemoglobin levels at birth (ZDVf: 16.1 ± 1.4 g/dl, ZDVs: 14.3 ± 2.0 g/dl; ZDVc: 14.6 ± 2.4 g/dl, p = 0.044 and 0.003, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Half of ZDV-unexposed mothers had anaemia at the end of pregnancy, but their neonates had normal haemoglobin levels. ZDV initiation was associated with a lower occurrence of maternal anaemia during the third trimester and decreased haemoglobin levels in the newborns. We hypothesize that foetal iron requirements could represent a major determinant of maternal anaemia at the end of pregnancy.

Limits of stimulation of proliferation and differentiation of bone marrow cells of mice treated with swainsonine

The limits of stimulation of the immunomodulatory alkaloid swainsonine (8alphabeta-indolizidine-1alpha,2alpha,8beta-triol) were studied in inbred C57BL/6 mice for potential support of intense high dose cancer chemotherapy and/or radiation because of its attractive pharmacologic profile on the hematopoietic system. Specifically, the effects of swainsonine on bone marrow cellularity and on in vitro progenitor cell proliferation to total colony forming units (CFU) and differentiation to different lineages were studied as a function of number of days post drug administration. The lineages evaluated were colony forming units-granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM), erythroid-burst forming units (BFU-e) and CFU-granulocyte-erythrocyte-monocyte-megakaryocyte (CFU-GEMM or CFU-Mix). Groups of mice were treated with swainsonine or plain vehicle, phosphate buffered saline for 10 consecutive days. The effects of these agents on the hematopoietic system were studied up to 60 days following their discontinuation. The magnitude of the effects of swainsonine on bone marrow system gradually declined with increasing duration of days following its discontinuation. Nevertheless, its residual stimulatory effects on bone marrow cellularity, total CFU, CFU-GM, BFU-e and CFU-Mix continued to be significant (P<0.0001) up to 45, 50, 50, 55 and 50 days, respectively, compared to those of diluent buffer or untreated controls. Since cancer chemotherapeutic agents or radiation are normally given in schedules and/or cycles, these results strongly suggest that swainsonine effects are sustained long enough to potentially support and facilitate hematopoietic recovery during anti-cancer cytotoxic treatment.

Swainsonine protects both murine and human haematopoietic systems from chemotherapeutic toxicity

The haematopoietic system is sensitive to cytotoxic damage and is often the site of dose-limiting toxicity. We previously reported that swainsonine, an inhibitor of protein glycosylation, reduced the bone marrow toxicity resulting from a single dose of anticancer drugs in otherwise healthy mice. However, more important questions are (1) can swainsonine protect tumour-bearing mice without interfering with the anti-tumour effects of the drugs, and (2) can swainsonine stimulate haematopoietic activity of human, as well as murine, bone marrow. We demonstrate here that swainsonine protects C57BL/6 mice bearing melanoma-derived tumours from cyclophosphamide-induced toxicity without interfering with the drug's ability to inhibit tumour growth. Similar results were obtained in vivo with 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT), a myelosuppressive agent often used in therapy for acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Swainsonine increased both total bone marrow cellularity and the number of circulating white blood cells in mice treated with doses of AZT that typically lead to severe myelosuppression. Swainsonine also increased the number of erythroid and myeloid colony forming cells (CFCs) in short-term cultures of murine bone marrow, restoring the number of progenitor cells to the control level in the presence of AZT doses that reduced CFCs by 80%. With respect to the sensitivity of human haematopoietic cells to swainsonine, we show that swainsonine protected human myeloid progenitor cells from AZT toxicity in vitro. These results suggest that swainsonine may be useful as an adjuvant in several types of human chemotherapy.

Recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rHuGM-CSF) in leukopenic patients with advanced HIV disease

In order to assess the efficacy and safety of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rHuGM-CSF) in the treatment of HIV-associated leukopenia, 35 subjects suffering from severe leukopenia/neutropenia (24 with a previous diagnosis of AIDS, 11 with AIDS-related complex), received rHuGM-CSF at 0.5-3 micrograms/Kg/day subcutaneously for a mean period of 9.7 +/- 12.5 weeks (range 2-43 weeks). Five patients have been treated continuously for more than 6 months. rHuGM-CSF administration led to a significant (at least two-fold; P < .001) increase in total leukocyte, neutrophil and monocyte count by the second week of treatment, subsequently maintained through the entire course of therapy. No considerable effects on other hematological, immunological and virological parameters have been detected. Patients treated with rHuGM-CSF did not suffer from novel opportunistic diseases, while bacterial infections occurred in only 3 cases (pneumonia in 2, otitis/mastoiditis in 1). Long-term treatment with rHuGM-CSF allowed continuation or resumption of potentially myelotoxic drugs in 22 patients out of 35. A self-limited flu-like syndrome represented the most common adverse event (observed in 15 patients), while no other significant clinical or laboratory abnormalities were found. In conclusion, long-term rHuGM-CSF therapy showed a good efficacy and safety profile in the treatment of HIV-related leukopenia, also increasing tolerability to potentially myelosuppressive drugs, and leading to a significant reduction in morbidity due to secondary infections.

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and human hematopoietic progenitor cells

Besides a progressive depletion of CD4+ T-lymphocytes, other peripheral blood cytopenias, (granulocytopenia, anemia and thrombocytopenia) are frequently observed in HIV-1 seropositive individuals, especially in patients with overt AIDS. Various experimental evidences suggest that HIV-1 could play a direct role in the pathogenesis of HIV-1 related peripheral blood cytopenias, affecting the survival/proliferation capacity of hematopoietic progenitors. CD34+ human hematopoietic progenitors, however, are substantially not susceptible to HIV-1 infection either in vitro and in vivo and their defects seem rather related to an alteration of bone marrow and peripheral blood microenvironments due to the presence of soluble HIV-1 specific products.