Effects of psoralen plus UVA radiation (PUVA) on HIV-1 in human beings: a pilot study.

Abstract

Laboratory data document the activation of the HIV-1 genome on exposure to UV radiation, including PUVA. The overall effects of UV radiation exposure on HIV-1 infection in human beings are unknown. Our purpose was to observe CD4 cell counts and quantitative markers of HIV-1 load in late-stage HIV-1-infected human beings receiving PUVA for various cutaneous diseases. Samples of peripheral blood were obtained on days 0, 14, 30, and 60 of PUVA administered in therapeutic doses. Number of CD4+ T lymphocytes was determined by flow cytometry, and HIV-1 load was measured by semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction for viral genome in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, semiquantitative RNA-polymerase chain reaction for HIV-1 RNA in serum, and determination of p24 in serum. No significant changes in the measurements were observed. This study did not detect a deleterious effect on CD4 cell count or HIV-1 load during 2 months of PUVA treatment for patients in late stages of infection, with low CD4 cell counts and high HIV-1 loads.