Figure 1.

sCD163 levels are significantly increased in plasma during chronic and early human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and are decreased after receipt of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Plasma samples from 30 subjects with chronic HIV infection (Chronic HIV+) and 14 subjects with recent HIV infection (Early HIV+) were examined at 2 time points, as follows: (1) no current ART (Pre-ART) and (2) after 3 months of ART (3mos ART). Samples were compared with samples from 29 age-matched HIV-seronegative individuals (HIV-). Plasma samples were examined for levels of sCD163 (A), interleukin (IL)-10 (B), sCD14 (C), and lipopolysaccharide (D). A, Plasma sCD163 levels were elevated before ART in both Chronic HIV+ and Early HIV+ groups. After 3 months of ART, sCD163 decreased in both Chronic HIV+ and Early HIV+ groups; however, the levels only returned to levels similar to those in uninfected individuals in the Early HIV+ group. The lines show the mean level and standard error of the mean. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for variance between groups. If the ANOVA determined that a difference was statistically significant (P < .05), then this was followed by post hoc t tests. For comparisons between Chronic HIV+ Pre-ART and Chronic HIV+ 3mos ART and for comparisons between Early HIV+ Pre-ART and Early HIV+ 3mos ART, matched t tests were used. Three samples from uninfected individuals, 3 Early HIV+ Pre-ART samples, and 8 Early HIV+ 3mos ART samples had values that were below the lower limit of detection of the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate assay.