Figure 3.

Antiretrovirals increase the release of EVs from HIV-1-infected monocyte-derived macrophages. U1 (HIV-1-infected monocytes) and U937 (uninfected monocytes) cells were differentiated into monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) using PMA (100 nM) over 7 days. Following differentiation, MDMs were treated twice with darunavir (10 µM), ritonavir (5 µM), darunavir/ritonavir (10 µM/5 µM), emtricitabine (10 µM), tenofovir (10 µM), or a combined regimen for 5 days in exosome-free media. The supernatants were analyzed using NTA to assess drug-mediated changes in the released EV numbers in the treated HIV+ MDMs (A) and HIV− MDMs (B). An additional analysis investigated the changes in the EV median diameter from HIV+ MDMs (C) and HIV− MDMs (D). Statistical significance was assessed using a two-tailed Student’s t-test comparing the treated samples (lanes 2–7) to an untreated control (lane 1). ++ p < 0.01, ***/+++ p < 0.001, in which */+ represents significant decreases/increases, respectively.