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. 2024 Jul 3;24(1):665.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-024-09565-w.

Cytokines assets in PLWH in two-drug dolutergravir based or three-drug antiretroviral regimen

Katia Falasca  1 , Claudio Ucciferri  2 , Alessandro Di Gasbarro  2 , Paola Borrelli  3 , Marta Di Nicola  3 , Carla Frisenda  2 , Erica Costantini  4 , Lisa Aielli  4 , Marcella Reale  4 , Jacopo Vecchiet  2
Affiliations

Cytokines assets in PLWH in two-drug dolutergravir based or three-drug antiretroviral regimen

Katia Falasca et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

To minimize the toxicity and impact of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) on the lifestyle of people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLWH), scientific community evaluated the efficacy, safety and sustained virologic response of two drugs antiretroviral regimens, in particular dolutegravir (DTG). The effects of deintensification therapy on inflammatory settings are currently unknown in PLWH. Thus, our study explored the inflammatory state in virologically suppressed HIV individuals between patients in treatment with a DTG-containing dual therapy (2DR) versus triple regimen therapies (3DR). We enrolled a total of 116 subjects in 2DRs or 3DRs regimens, and the plasma levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (in particular IL-1β, IL-10, IL-18, IL-33, IL-36 and IFN-γ) have been evaluated. CD4 + cell's median value was 729.0 cell/µL in the 3DR group and 771.5 cell/µL in 2DR group; the viral load was negative in all patients. Significant differences were found in levels of IL-18 (648.8 cell/µL in 3DR group vs. 475.0 cell/µL in 2DR group, p = 0.034) and IL-36 (281.7 cell/µL in 3DR group vs. 247.0 cell/µL in 2DR group, p = 0.050), and a correlation between IL-18 and IL-36 was found in 3DR group (rho = 0.266, p = 0.015). This single-center retrospective pharmacological study confirms the absence of significant differences in IL-1β, IL-10, IL-33, and IFN-γ levels between patients on two-drug antiretroviral regimens compared to patients on 3DR antiretroviral regimens. Patients in 2DR show greater control over IL-18 and IL-36 serum levels, cytokines related to an increased cardiovascular risk and development of age-related chronic diseases. Based on our results, we suggest that DTG-based 2DR antiretroviral regimens could be associated with better control of the chronic inflammation that characterizes the population living with HIV in effective ART.

Keywords: 2DRs; 3DR; DTG; HIV; Inflammation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

The authors have no relevant conflict of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Box plots show the median levels of the cytokines in the two comparison groups. P-values are for Wilcoxon rank-sum test
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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