Correlation between CD169 expression of peripheral blood monocytes and disease progression in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients

Objective To study the correlation between CD169 expression of monocytes and disease progression in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. Methods Sixty HIV-infected patients and 30 healthy controls were recruited. According to the CD4+ T lymphocyte counts, HIV-infected patients were divided into three groups including 350 cells/μL groups. The differences in monocytes counts, the proportions of CD16+ and CD169+ monocytes were analyzed among the three groups and healthy controls. The correlations between proportion of CD169+ monocytes and CD4+ T lymphocyte counts, viral load, and proportion of CD16+ monocytes were analyzed. Results The monocyte counts in CD4+ T lymphocytes 350 cells/μL group and healthy control group were (342±99), (396±145), (365±80), and (404±106)/μL, respectively, which were not significantly different (F=2.55, P>0.05). The proportions of CD16+ monocytes in the four groups were (19.8±8.8)%, (14.3±2.8)%, (9.7±2.0)% and (4.0±0.8)%, respectively, which were significantly different (F=30.90, P<0.05). The proportions of CD169+ monocytes in the four groups were (72.6±11.4)%, (59.4±14.7)%, (33.3±14.5)% and (2.6±0.8)%, respectively, which were significantly different (F=152.40, P<0.05). The proportion of CD169+ monocytes was negatively correlated with CD4+ T lymphocyte counts (r=0.792, P<0.05), while positively correlated with both viral load (r=0.485, P<0.05) and proportion of CD16+ monocytes (r=0.395, P<0.05). Conclusions The CD169 expressions of monocytes in HIV-infected patients are significantly increased and correlated with both monocyte activation and disease progression. Key words: CD169; HIV-1; Monocytes