α-Tocopherol as an antiretroviral therapy supplement for HIV-1-infected patients for increased lymphocyte viability

Abstract

AbstractThe aim of our study was to evaluate the benefits of supplementation with 800mg/day of α-tocopherol with regard to cellular viability in HIV-1 seropositive patients undergoing anti-retroviral therapy. A total of 29 patients participated in the study, of whom 14 were given the supplement and 15 a placebo. The analyses were carried out before treatment commenced and after 60, 120 and 180days. The plasma levels ofHIV-1 RNA showed a significant decrease as a consequence of treatment time in the groups studied (p=0.0001), although the difference between the treatments over time was not verified (p=0.7343). The percentage of viable lymphocytes showed a significant increase as a consequence of treatment time in both groups studied (p=0.0002) and a significant difference between the treatments over time (p=0.0472). The percentage of lymphocytes in apoptosis showed a significant reduction over time (p=0.0003), as well as a significant difference between the treatments over time (p=0.0321). The significant increase in cellular viability indicates that supplementation with α-tocopherol offers an additional positive effect on cellular preservation in HIV-1 individuals undergoing anti-retroviral therapy; however, it represents an additional risk of anti-retroviral therapeutic failure, possibly due to drug-drug interaction involving up-regulation of metabolic clearance.