Neisseria gonorrhoeae LOS Decreased NF-ĸB and IRF3 Expression but Had No Effect in IFN-β Expression and HIV Replication on Naïve-HIV Lymphocytes

Background: Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N.gonorrhoeae) is a gram-negative bacterium with a lipooligosaccharides (LOS)-based cell membrane.LOS is considered to supress HIV-1 replication by downregulating NF-B, IRF3, and IFN-.The aim of the study: To explore the effect of N. gonorrhoeae LOS on HIV replication in lymphocytes of naive HIV patients, as indicated by NF-B, IRF3, and IFN- expressions.Materials and methods: Nave-HIV lymphocyte culture was divided into 5 groups.The treatment groups were exposed to N. gonorrhoeae LOS with doses ranging from 50 ng/ml, 100 ng/ml, and 200 ng/ml, respectively.The positive control group was exposed to 300 M of tenofovir as the standard antiviral treatment, while the negative control group received only standard medium.At 24 hours post-treatment, the level of HIV p24 was determined using ELISA and the expressions of NF-B, IRF3, and IFN- was measured by flowcytometry.Results: The mean expression of NF-B and IRF3 were significantly different among groups (p=0.025;p=0.020), while the expression of IFN- and the level of p24 did not differ significantly (p=0.051;p=0.068).There was a strong and significant positive correlation between LOS concentration and p=0.003; r=0.759, p=0.001;).Conclusion: Exposure of lymphocytes from a nave HIV patient to N. gonorrhoeae LOS significantly affected the expression of NF-B and IRF-3.