Lipopolysaccharide induces immune activation and SIV replication in rhesus macaques of Chinese origin

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 9; no. 2; p. e98636
• Main Authors: Bao, Rong, Zhuang, Ke, Liu, Jinbiao, Wu, Jianguo, Li, Jieliang, Wang, Xu, Ho, Wen-Zhe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 11-06-2014; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; AIDS; Animals; Antiretroviral drugs; Bacteria; Biochemistry; Biology and Life Sciences; C-reactive protein; CD4 antigen; CD4-CD8 Ratio; CD8 antigen; Chronic infection; Cytokines; Cytokines - immunology; Female; Flow cytometry; Gene expression; Histocompatibility antigen HLA; HIV; HIV infections; Human immunodeficiency virus; Infection; Inflammation; Leukocytes; Lipopolysaccharides; Lipopolysaccharides - immunology; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Macaca mulatta - blood; Macaca mulatta - immunology; Macaca mulatta - virology; Mitogens; Monkey Diseases - blood; Monkey Diseases - immunology; Monkey Diseases - virology; Monkeys; Peripheral blood mononuclear cells; Plasma levels; Polymerase chain reaction; Primates; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Rodents; Simian immunodeficiency virus; Simian Immunodeficiency Virus - physiology; Viral Load; Virus Replication; Viruses; United States > US; Pennsylvania
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0098636

Chronic immune activation is a hallmark of progressive HIV infection and a key determinant of immunodeficiency in HIV-infected individuals. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the circulation has been implicated as a key factor in HIV infection-related systemic immune activation. We thus investigate the impact of LPS on systemic immune activation in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus macaques of Chinese origin.
The animals were inoculated intravenously with SIVmac239. The levels of plasma viral load and host inflammatory cytokines in PBMC were measured by real-time RT-PCR. CD4/CD8 ratio and systemic immune activation markers were examined by flow cytometric analysis of PBMCs. White blood cell and neutrophil counts and C Reactive Protein levels were determined using biochemistry analyzer. The plasma levels of LPS were determined by Tachypleus Amebocyte Lysate (TAL) test.
The animals inoculated with SIVmac239 became infected as evidenced by the increased plasma levels of SIV RNA and decreased CD4/CD8 ratio. LPS administration of SIV-infected animals induced a transient increase of plasma SIV RNA and immune activation, which was indicated by the elevated expression of the inflammatory cytokines and CD4+HLA-DR+ T cells in PBMCs.
These data support the concept that LPS is a driving factor in systemic immune activation of HIV disease.