Korean Red Ginseng slows coreceptor switch in HIV-1 infected patients.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) that binds to the coreceptor CCR5 (R5 viruses) can evolve into viruses that bind to the coreceptor CXCR4 (X4 viruses), with high viral replication rates governing this coreceptor switch. Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) treatment of HIV-1 infected patients has been found to slow the depletion of CD4+ T cells. This study assessed whether the KRG-associated slow depletion of CD4+ T cells was associated with coreceptor switching.

Methods

This study included 146 HIV-1-infected patients naïve to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and seven patients receiving ART. A total of 540 blood samples were obtained from these patients over 122 ± 129 months. Their env genes were amplified by nested PCR or RT-PCR and subjected to direct sequencing.

SUBMITTER: Cho YK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9834003 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature