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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Virology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1463441

Effect of fentanyl on HIV expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Provisionally accepted
Janani Madhuravasal Krishnan Janani Madhuravasal Krishnan 1Krishna M. Roskin Krishna M. Roskin 2Heidi L. Meeds Heidi L. Meeds 1*Jason T. Blackard Jason T. Blackard 1*
  • 1 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
  • 2 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Illicit drug use, particularly the synthetic opioid fentanyl, presents a significant global health challenge. Previous studies have shown that fentanyl enhances viral replication; yet, the mechanisms by which it affects HIV pathogenesis remain unclear. This study investigated the impact of fentanyl on HIV replication in CD4 + T lymphocytes. CD4 + T lymphocytes from HIVnegative donors were activated, infected with HIVNL4-3, and treated with fentanyl. HIV proviral DNA and p24 antigen expression were quantified using real-time PCR and ELISA, respectively.Single-cell RNA libraries were analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes. Results indicated that fentanyl treatment increased HIV p24 expression and proviral DNA levels, and naltrexone mitigated these effects. Single-cell RNAseq analysis identified significantly altered gene expression in CD4 + T lymphocytes. These findings suggest that fentanyl promotes HIV replication ex vivo, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of opioid-virus interactions to develop better treatment strategies for individuals with HIV and opioid use disorder.

    Keywords: opioid, Fentanyl, Drug use, HIV, Cd4 + T lymphocytes, PBMC, single-cell RNA sequencing

    Received: 11 Jul 2024; Accepted: 09 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Madhuravasal Krishnan, Roskin, Meeds and Blackard. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Heidi L. Meeds, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, 45221, Ohio, United States
    Jason T. Blackard, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, 45221, Ohio, United States

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