In vitro susceptibility of HIV isolates with high growth capability to antiretroviral drugs

Abstract

Abstract It has been considered that reduced antiretroviral susceptibility can occur with drug-resistance mutations in the HIV genome. In the present study, we assessed the susceptibility of HIV isolates with high growth capability to antiretroviral drugs using an in vitro model. Phytohemagglutinin-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (1.5×106 cells) were infected with HIV isolates (106 copies/mL). The culture was carried out at different concentrations (0.001–20 µM) of 13 synthetic antiretroviral compounds (six nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors, one non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, four integrase inhibitors, and two protease inhibitors), and HIV production was assessed using HIV-RNA copies in culture. The 90% inhibitory concentration (IC90) and pharmacokinetics of an antiretroviral agent were used as parameters to determine the reduced antiretroviral drug susceptibility of HIV isolates with high growth capability to synthetic antiretroviral compounds. The high growth capability of HIV isolates affected their susceptibility to tenofovir (IC90 = 2.05 ± 0.40 µM), lamivudine (IC90 = 6.83 ± 3.96 µM), emtricitabine (IC90 = 0.68 ± 0.37 µM), and efavirenz (IC90 = 3.65 ± 0.77 µM). These antiretroviral drugs showed IC90 values close to or above the Cmin-Cmax range against HIV isolates with a high growth capability without any drug resistance-related mutations. Our results may contribute to the development of effective antiretroviral therapy strategies to tailor and individualize ART in patients harboring HIV isolates with a high growth capability.