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New hope for HIV sufferers as immunosuppressant delays AIDS onset
April 30, 2004A drug that suppresses the immune system delays the onset of AIDS in patients with HIV, according to a study published this week in BMC Medicine. Prednisolone, taken without any antiviral therapy, postponed the loss of T-cells that leads to AIDS in 50% of HIV sufferers by between 2 and 10 years.
HIV leads to a complex disorder that combines an initial chronic activation of the immune system with a progressive decrease in the number of CD4+ T cells, which are involved in the immune response. If the number of CD4+ T cells falls below a certain level, the weakened immune system is less able to fight infections and the symptoms of AIDS develop.
Rejecting the commonly accepted view that the CD4+ T cells are killed solely by the HIV virus, Jean-Marie Andrieu and Wei Lu of Université René Descartes in Paris believe that the hyperactivity of the immune system is part of the problem. To test whether reducing the activity of the immune system can protect patients' CD4+ T-cell numbers and hence delay AIDS onset, the researchers initiated a trial where 44 patients with HIV were given the immunosuppressant drug, prednisolone.
After two years of taking the drug, 50% of patients had CD4+ T-cell counts higher than they did at the start of the trial. This compares with 5% of patients that did not take prednisolone.
After five years, more than 10% of the patients taking prednisolone had higher CD4+ T-cell counts than they did at the start of the trial, compared with virtually no patients in the control group.
Prednisolone was particularly effective at maintaining high CD4+ T-cell counts and delaying AIDS onset in patients that initially had a low level of virus in their body. Importantly, despite suppressing patients' immune response, prednisolone did not cause the HIV virus to replicate more vigorously.
Prednisolone is a very inexpensive drug belonging to the class of glucocorticoids. The side effects of the drug were mild at the low daily dose at which it was given.
The authors expect their study to prompt further clinical trials. These should test different doses of prednisolone or other glucocorticoids, to define the lowest dose that can maintain the population of CD4+ T-cells. In addition, researchers could investigate whether the antiretroviral therapy for AIDS, HAART, is more effective if given in conjunction with glucocorticoids.
BioMed Central Limited
After two years of taking the drug, 50% of patients had CD4+ T-cell counts higher than they did at the start of the trial. This compares with 5% of patients that did not take prednisolone.
After five years, more than 10% of the patients taking prednisolone had higher CD4+ T-cell counts than they did at the start of the trial, compared with virtually no patients in the control group.
Prednisolone was particularly effective at maintaining high CD4+ T-cell counts and delaying AIDS onset in patients that initially had a low level of virus in their body. Importantly, despite suppressing patients' immune response, prednisolone did not cause the HIV virus to replicate more vigorously.
Prednisolone is a very inexpensive drug belonging to the class of glucocorticoids. The side effects of the drug were mild at the low daily dose at which it was given.
The authors expect their study to prompt further clinical trials. These should test different doses of prednisolone or other glucocorticoids, to define the lowest dose that can maintain the population of CD4+ T-cells. In addition, researchers could investigate whether the antiretroviral therapy for AIDS, HAART, is more effective if given in conjunction with glucocorticoids.
BioMed Central Limited
Immune System Current Events and Immune System News RSSFirst reconstitution of an epidermis from human embryonic stem cells
Stem cell research is making great strides. This is yet again illustrated by a study carried out by the I-STEM* Institute (I-STEM/ Inserm UEVE U861/AFM), published in the Lancet on 21 November 2009. The I-STEM team, directed by Marc Peschanski has just succeeded in recreating a whole epidermis from human embryonic stem cells.
New findings suggest strategy to help generate HIV-neutralizing antibodies
New discoveries about anti-HIV antibodies may bring researchers a step closer to creating an effective HIV vaccine, according to a new paper co-authored by scientists at the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
UAB Researchers Discover Antibody Receptor Identity, Propose Renaming Immune-System Gene
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have uncovered the genetic identity of a cellular receptor for the immune system's first-response antibody, a discovery that sheds new light on infection control and immune disorders.
New culprit for viral infections among elderly -- an overactive immune response
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that exaggerated responses of the immune system explain why the elderly succumb to viral infections more readily than younger people.
Women at risk from vitamin A deficiency
Almost half of UK women could be suffering from a lack of vitamin A due to a previously undiscovered genetic variation, scientists at Newcastle University have found.
Immune system activated in schizophrenia
Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have discovered that patients with recent-onset schizophrenia have higher levels of inflammatory substances in their brains. Their findings offer hope of being able to treat schizophrenia with drugs that affect the immune system.
Thoughtful words help couples stay fighting fit
Couples who bring thoughtful words to a fight release lower amounts of stress-related proteins, suggesting that rational communication between partners can ease the impact of marital conflict on the immune system.
Largest gene study of childhood IBD identifies 5 new genes
In the largest, most comprehensive genetic analysis of childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), an international research team has identified five new gene regions, including one involved in a biological pathway that helps drive the painful inflammation of the digestive tract that characterizes the disease.
Faithful mothers have healthier babies
Faculty of 1000 reviewers examine a study from New Zealand on whether prolonged exposure to the father's semen protects new mothers against pre-eclampsia and having an undersized baby
Hoping for a fluorescent basket case
Although recent advances have raised hopes that a protective vaccine can be developed, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) remains a major public health problem.
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