Cho Y, Lee H, Yang H, Ahn S, Lee H; International Conference on AIDS (15th : 2004 : Bangkok, Thailand).

Int Conf AIDS. 2004 Jul 11-16; 15: abstract no. B10519.

Asan medical center, University of Ulsan, SEOUL, Republic of Korea

Background: Despite the introduction of HAART in AIDS therapy, HIV-1 infection is still not curable. A variety of immune-based therapies are under consideration to improve immunological functions in HIV-1-infected patients. Ginseng is recorded as the best medicine of all in Shen Nung's Pharmacopoeia compiled between A. D. 483 and 496. Recently, it is well known as immune modulator. Korean red ginseng (KRG) we have used is a commercial product (powder capsule, Korea Ginseng Corporation) made of 6 year-old-root ginseng (Details in J Clin Microbiol 2002; 40:1319). Methods: We performed double-or triple-nested PCR to amplify nef sequences using 298 different PBMC samples obtained from 96 patients excluding hemophiliacs. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to the annual decrease in CD4 cell; 10 slow progressors (SP)(<20/ul over 10 year), 62 typical progressors (TP)(21-60/ul), and 24 rapid progressors (RP)(>60/ul). Results: Gross deletions (g[squ]nef>15 bp) including small deletions in 2 patients were detected in 116 nef genes in 27 patients. There was a significant inverse correlation between the duration of KRG-intake and decrease in CD4 T cell. SP had longer duration of KRG-intake than TP and RP (P<0.01) and also higher proportion of patients with g[squ]nef than TP and RP (P<0.05). Seventy-one patients have been treated with KRG for 3-143 months, whereas 25 have never been treated with KRG. There was a significant difference in the detection of g[squ]nef between these 2 groups (P<0.05; 2/25 vs 25/71). Furthermore, 15 patients revealed g[squ]nef after KRG-intake, whereas they revealed wild type only prior to KRG-intake. Surprisingly, 7 out of 10 SP patients revealed g[squ]nef (54 out of 286) at >/= 2 different samples. Characteristics of g[squ]nef in this study were quite different from other reports. Conclusions: Data show that there is a causal relationship between g[squ]nef and the slow progression by long-term intake of KRG.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active
• Base Sequence
• CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes
• Disease Progression
• Genes, nef
• HIV Infections
• HIV-1
• Humans
• Korea
• Panax
• Polymerase Chain Reaction
• genetics

Other ID:

• GWAIDS0032251

UI: 102276465

From Meeting Abstracts