Sydney J Bennett, Carmen Ana Davila, Zahiraliz Reyes, Aníbal Valentín-Acevedo, Kim Gocchi Carrasco, Roberto Abadie, M Caleb Marlin, Marci Beel, Andrew G Chapple, Samodha Fernando, Joel M Guthridge, Kathy S Chiou, Kirk Dombrowski, John T West, Charles Wood
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been effective in suppressing HIV viral load and enabling people living with HIV (PLWH) to experience longer, more conventional lives. However, as PLWH are living longer, they are developing aging-related diseases prematurely and are more susceptible to comorbidities that have been linked to chronic inflammation. Coincident with HIV infection and aging, drug abuse has also been independently associated with gut dysbiosis, microbial translocation, and inflammation. Here, we hypothesized that injection drug use (IDU) would exacerbate HIV-induced immune activation and inflammation, thereby intensifying immune dysfunction...
April 12, 2023: Journal of Leukocyte Biology