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B cells in early and chronic HIV infection: evidence for preservation of immune function associated with early initiation of antiretroviral therapy

2010; Elsevier BV; Volume: 116; Issue: 25 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1182/blood-2010-05-285528

1528-0020

Susan Moir, Clarisa M. Buckner, Jason Ho, Wei Wang, Jenny Chen, Amy J. Waldner, Jacqueline G. Posada, Lela Kardava, Marie A. O’Shea, Shyam Kottilil, Tae‐Wook Chun, Michael A. Proschan, Anthony S. Fauci,

HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions

Abstract Characterization of lymphocytes including B cells during early versus chronic HIV infection is important for understanding the impact of chronic viremia on immune cell function. In this setting, we investigated B cells before and after reduction of HIV plasma viremia by antiretroviral therapy (ART). At baseline, peripheral blood B-cell counts were significantly lower in both early and chronic HIV-infected individuals compared with uninfected controls. Similar to CD4+ but not CD8+ T cells, B-cell numbers in both groups increased significantly after ART. At baseline, B cells of early HIV-infected individuals were composed of a higher percentage of plasmablasts and resting memory B cells compared with chronic HIV-infected individuals whose B cells were composed of a higher percentage of immature/transitional and exhausted B cells compared with their early infection counterparts. At 1 year after ART, the percentage of resting memory B cells remained higher in early compared with chronic HIV-infected individuals. This difference translated into a better functional profile in that memory B-cell responses to HIV and non-HIV antigens were superior in early- compared with chronic-treated HIV infected individuals. These findings provide new insights on B cells in HIV infection and how early initiation of ART may prevent irreversible immune system damage.