T-cell mean telomere lengths changes in treatment naïve HIV-infected patients randomized to G-CSF or placebo simultaneously with initiation of HAART

Abstract

The effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) on mean telomere restriction fragment (TRF) length of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was examined in 11 treatment naïve human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals with a CD4 T-cell count 350cells/mm3. Patients were randomized to HAART combined with G-CSF thrice weekly for 12 weeks (n 6) or placebo (n 5). An increase in the mean TRF lengths was observed in PBMC of patients on HAART after 24 weeks of treatment mainly owing to increased mean CD8 T-cell TRF lengths. However, in the group of patients on HAART combined with G-CSF no changes of PBMC mean TRF length was observed during treatment or during 12 weeks of follow-up. The mean CD4 T-cell TRF length did not change in any of the two groups. These results confirm that HAART induces mainly the lengthening of the mean CD8 T-cell TRF length. However, G-CSF given simultaneously with HAART induces an inhibition of the expected lengthening in mean TRF length. These results do therefore not support the use of adjuvant G-CSF treatment simultaneously when initiating HAART and should further be evaluated before use in non-neutropenic HIV-infected patients.