ISSN 2167-0404
International Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences ISSN: 2167-0404 Vol. 3 (1), pp. 307-316, January, 2013 © International Scholars Journals
Review
Biomolecular basis of the role of chronic psychological stress in the susceptibility of HIV infection and progression of AIDS
Mahbub E. Sobhani1, Bipradas Roy1, Tauhidur R. N1, Shirin Pervin1 and Md Mahmudul Hasan2
1Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna-9208, Bangladesh.
2 Biotechnology, Claflin University, 400 Magnolia Street, Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA-29115
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]
Received 02 December, 2012; Accepted 14 January, 2013
Abtract
Chronic Psychological stress (CPS) has several adverse effects both on HIV people and on HIV+ patient. HIV- people with CPS are more susceptible to HIV infection than the HIV- people without CPS. T-cells have CXCR4 receptor and Macrophages have CCR5 receptor which can bind with both glucocorticoid and catecholamine hormone. HIV has GP120 residue which is able to bind with both CD4 and CXCR4/CCR5 receptor for its entry into the host cells. CPS increases glucocorticoid and catecholamine concentration in blood and thereby activates cAMP signaling pathway through binding the CXCR4/CCR5 receptors expressed on T cells and macrophages. This signal transduction pathway leads to the synthesis of more CXCR4 and CCR5 receptors by those cells, and in turn the cells become more susceptible to HIV infection. On HIV+ patient stress hormones arrest the infected cell in G2 phase which is favorable for HIV replication. At the same time T-cells and macrophage are more susceptible to HIV, so HIV can infects a lot of immune cells and thereby makes the immune system weak. Stress also inhibits Th2 when the cell produces INF-γ as a response to viral attack. So that other cells remain vulnerable to viral infection. When T-cell count is decreased in the blood, the body cannot protect itself from other opportunistic infectious pathogens. As a result progression of AIDS increases rapidly.
Key words: HIV, chronic stress, IFN, CCR5, CNS, glucocorticoid.