Although patients treated with HIV protease inhibitor (PI) containing regimens manifest increases in naïve T cell number, it is unclear whether this is due to reduction in viral replication or a direct drug effect. We questioned whether Nelfinavir monotherapy directly impacted naïve T-cell number in HIV-negative individuals. HIV-negative volunteers received Nelfinavir, 1250 mg orally, BID for 3 weeks, and T-cell receptor recombination excision circles (TREC) content in peripheral blood were assessed. Whereas TREC copies did not change over 3 weeks in untreated controls, TREC copies/copies CCR5 increased following Nelfinavir monotherapy in 8 patients (p<0.02), and did not change in 7 patients (p=NS). Those patients who responded were younger than those who did not with a median age of 55 years for responders and 71 years for non-responders (p<0.03). The increase in TREC was most pronounced in those patients less than 40-years old (p<0.01). Moreover, the patients who did not increase TREC levels were more likely to have suffered a medical illness previously shown to reduce thymic function. In HIV-negative patients, monotherapy with the HIV PI Nelfinavir for 21 days increases TREC-positive naïve T cell number, particularly in individuals who are healthy and young.
CITATION STYLE
Rizza, S. A., Tangalos, E. G., McClees, M. D., Strausbauch, M. A., Targonski, P. V., McKean, D. J., … Badley, A. D. (2008). Nelfinavir monotherapy increases naïve T-cell numbers in HIV-negative healthy young adults. Frontiers in Bioscience, 13(5), 1605–1609. https://doi.org/10.2741/2784
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