Circulating IL-21 levels increase during early simian-human immunodeficiency virus infection in macaques

The cytokine interleukin-21 (IL-21) regulates viral pathogenesis in individuals infected with human and simian immunodeficiency viruses. However, because the time of initial infection with HIV in humans is rarely known, the dynamics of IL-21 production during the first weeks have not been adequately explored. In the present study, we used rhesus macaques to model the first stages of infection. Twenty-two rhesus macaques were infected rectally with simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)-1157ipd3N4, and for 12 weeks, replication of the virus, the numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and the levels of plasma IL-21 were monitored. Our study demonstrated that plasma levels of IL-21 increased during the early phase of SHIV infection when compared with the values observed before inoculation. We conclude that IL-21 has a likely role in the immunopathogenesis of HIV/SIV/SHIV.