DYNAMICS OF IL-2 PLASMA LEVELS IN HIV PATIENTS WITH CONSIDERING DRUGS RESISTANCE

Abstract

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is one of the most important cytokines involved in the regulation of innate and adaptive immunity. Its main  immunological function is to regulate a specific (antigen-dependent)  immune response by stimulating proliferation and differentiation of  immune cells involved in its realization, including Т-lymphocytes.  Dysfunction of cellular immunity is the main pathogenetic  mechanism for the development of HIV infection.Objective:to  identify patterns of IL-2 levels change in HIV-infected patients on the background of drug resistance at the later stages of infection. The study included 83 patients with HIV infection receiving  highly active antiretroviral therapy; the control group  consisted of 20 healthy blood donors. All patients underwent a study  of the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy, including an  assessment of HIV viral load and CD4+ Т lymphocyte levels. In  patients with ineffective antiretroviral therapy, a study of drug  resistance to HIV by Senger sequencing was additionally conducted.  According to the results of genome sequencing, HIV-infected  patients with ineffective antiretroviral therapy were divided into two  subgroups — with revealed drug resistance (58.5%) and absence of  detectable resistance mutations in the genome (41.5%). Levels of  IL-2 were measured in all persons included in the study by the  method of enzyme immunoassay. When comparing the levels of IL-2 between groups of patients with continuing viral load on the background of antiretroviral therapy (viral load is detected) with  drug resistance and without it, significant differences were obtained  (1.75±0.26 pg/ml versus 1.95±0.29 pg/ml, p ≤ 0.05, U-criterion,  respectively). The content of IL-2 is statistically significantly lower in  the group of patients who did not succeed with antiretroviral therapy than in the group of patients with treatment efficacy (1.83±0.29 pg/ml versus 4.89±0.55 pg/ml, respectively, p < 0.001, U-criterion). Thus, it is shown that in patients with revealed drug resistance  against the background of progression of HIV infection there is a  decrease in levels of IL-2. The increase in its levels in patients with  HIV infection who have reached virological and immunological  success of therapy is due to the reduction in the number of the cytokine-producing immune cells (T-lymphocytes). We assume that a significant decrease in the levels of IL-2 makes an additional  contribution to the disruption of the processes of proliferation and  differentiation of immunocompetent cells in HIV infection, which is of great importance in the formation of drug resistance of HIV in conditions of constant viral replication.