Does lopinavir/ritonavir alter the primary gingival epithelium?

Area of Science:

• Oral biology
• Pharmacology
• HIV/AIDS research

Background:

• Lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) is a key component of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV-infected patients.
• Understanding the impact of antiretroviral drugs on oral tissues is crucial for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effects of the HIV protease inhibitor LPV/r on the growth and differentiation of human gingival epithelium.
• To investigate the in vitro impact of LPV/r on gingival keratinocyte proliferation, differentiation, and tissue integrity.

Main Methods:

• Human gingival keratinocytes were isolated and cultured in raft models.
• Keratinoctyes were treated with varying concentrations of LPV/r during different stages of tissue growth.
• Expression of key proliferation and differentiation markers (cytokeratins, PCNA, cyclin A) was analyzed.

Main Results:

• LPV/r inhibited gingival epithelium growth when present throughout the culture period.
• Exposure to LPV/r compromised tissue integrity and altered keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation.
• Expression of cytokeratins, PCNA, and cyclin A was significantly altered in LPV/r treated tissues.

Conclusions:

• In vitro findings suggest LPV/r can impair gingival epithelial repair and proliferation by disrupting tissue integrity and cell cycle regulation.
• The study highlights a potential disparity between in vitro drug effects and clinical observations, possibly due to overestimated drug concentrations in the experimental setup.
• Further research is needed to correlate in vitro LPV/r concentrations with actual salivary levels in patients.