Lipopolysaccharide Increases Immune Activation and Alters T Cell Homeostasis in SHIV(B'WHU) Chronically Infected Chinese Rhesus Macaque

Immune activation plays a significant role in the disease progression of HIV. Microbial products, especially bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), contribute to immune activation. Increasing evidence indicates that T lymphocyte homeostasis disruptions are associated with immune activation. However, the mechanism by which LPS affects disruption of immune response is still not fully understood. Chronically SHIV(B'WHU)-infected Chinese rhesus macaques received 50 μg/kg body weight LPS in this study. LPS administration affected the virus/host equilibrium by elevating the levels of viral replication and activating T lymphocytes. LPS induced upregulation of CD8(+) naïve T cells and downregulated the number of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T effector memory cells. The downregulated effector memory cells are associated with a lower frequency of monofunctional and polyfunctional cells, and an upregulated programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) expression on CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells was observed in monkeys after LPS stimulation. Our data provide new insights into the function of LPS in the immune activation in SHIV/HIV infection.