Evaluation of immune status and selected sirtuins in people living with HIV after fully vaccinating for COVID-19

Abstract

The introduction of protective vaccination against COVID-19 was a turning point in the fight against the pandemic. Expectations also concerned the effectiveness of vaccines in inducing a strong immune response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the length of post-vaccination immunity. This topic seems to be especially important in the case of immunocompromised people such as those living with HIV (PLWH). The aim of the study was to examine the concentration of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies against the S1 subunit of the virus’spike protein as a marker of humoral response and the concentration of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) as an indicator of cellular response in PLWH undergoing combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and uninfected people (control group) several months after the COVID-19 booster. Concentrations of selected enzymes from the group of sirtuins (SIRT1,-3,-6) that participate in the course of HIV infection were also examined. Concentrations of IgG and IFN-γ were statistically significantly lower in PLWH compared to the control group. Correlations between IgG and IFN-γ concentrations were found both in PLWH and in the control group. Only the concentration of SIRT-6 was significantly lower in PLWH compared to the control group. Vaccination for COVID-19 enabled good long-term humoral and cellular immunity in both HIV positive and uninfected people. The CD4/CD8 ratio and T CD8+ T lymphocytes count played a role in the long-term immune response to booster vaccination. The introduction of optimal cART stabilized the immune status of PLWH and had a positive effect on the humoral and cellular response against infection SARS-CoV- 2.

Keywords

• covid-19
• vaccines
• people living with hiv
• sirtuins