在意大利队列中,较高的IL-21水平与对HIV感染的自然抵抗力有关。因此,我们想在来自哥伦比亚的HIV暴露血清阴性个体(HESN)中确认这种关联。在基线和感染后7天,来自HESN的细胞对感染的敏感性较低,并且表达的IL-21mRNA水平高于健康对照;对于IL-6,穿孔素,和颗粒酶。这些结果表明,IL-21/IL-6的增加可能是HIV-1抗性谱中的一个独特的品质,至少在性接触期间。然而,需要进一步的研究来证实这些细胞因子的具体保护机制。
Higher IL-21 levels were associated with natural resistance to HIV infection in an Italian cohort. Thus we wanted to confirm such association in HIV exposed seronegative individuals (HESN) from Colombia. Cells from HESN were less susceptible to infection and expressed higher IL-21 mRNA levels than healthy controls at both baseline and 7-days post-infection; similar results were observed for IL-6, perforin, and granzyme. These results suggest that IL-21/IL-6 increase may be a distinctive quality in the profile of HIV-1 resistance, at least during sexual exposure. However, further studies are necessary to confirm the specific protective mechanisms of these cytokines.