Immune Activation Biomarkers Transcend Specific HIV Comorbidities

Our groundbreaking study reveals that galectin-3, galectin-9, and IL-18 function primarily as indicators of systemic immune dysfunction rather than markers of specific HIV-associated comorbidities. Using a rhesus macaque SIV model, we demonstrated these biomarkers couldn't distinguish between cardiac pathology and encephalitis individually but significantly increased in animals with both conditions. All markers strongly correlated with established indicators of monocyte/macrophage activation (sCD163) and turnover (%BrdU+ monocytes). This finding challenges the previous understanding of these biomarkers as disease-specific and suggests a common immunological basis underlying seemingly distinct HIV comorbidities. Our work provides crucial insight for developing unified therapeutic approaches targeting immune activation to address multiple HIV-associated complications simultaneously, potentially simplifying treatment strategies for people living with HIV despite antiretroviral therapy.

Title: Galectin-3, Galectin-9, and Interleukin-18 Are Associated with Monocyte/Macrophage Activation and Turnover More so than Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Cardiac Pathology or Encephalitis

https://doi.org/10.1089/aid.2024.0008