IMMUNE REPERTIORE RECONSTITUTION OF THE LYMPHATIC TISSUES IN HIV-1 TRANSGENIC RAT MODEL BY HAART THERAPY IN CONJUNCTION WITH ANTI-TAT GENIE THERAPY: A GLP HISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY

Abstract

During the past two decades, enormous efforts have been made to understand pathogenesis induced by HIV-1 infection. It has been shown that HIV plays a central role in disease initiation and progression (Hansasuta et at. 2001). Because damage of the immune system occurs during onset of infection, there is urgency for an effective therapeutic that can be administrated early after infection and that can reverse the onset damage of the immune system (Mautinot et at. 2002). Several antiretroviral pharmaceutical drugs have been designed to help decrease and control the virus by specifically blocking I-11V enzymes that decrease HIV amounts to undetectable levels in the blood to control effects of the infection. These antiretrovirals are administrated two or more at a time to prevent viral resistance. Such combination (high active antiretroviral therapy, HAART) helps prolong life with HIV infection and AIDS, not to cure this disease. There is still a need for the development of alternative strategies to combat HIV infection and AIDS (Poeschla et al. 1996).