# Alcohol's impact on immunological and virological profiles in HIV patients

> **NIH NIH UH3** · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · 2021 · $301,782

## Abstract

Abstract
 Alcohol overconsumption and HIV infection are both major health issues worldwide.
Alcohol abuse is more prevalent among HIV-infected people than the general population and
strongly associated with poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and poor treatment
response, leading to HIV progression and ART drug resistance. More drastically, alcohol
overconsumption and HIV infection independently damage the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
mucosal barrier, leading to a leaky gut that allows microbial translocation (MT) and
accumulation of microbial components such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the blood. In HIV
patients, MT is a cause of chronic immune activation and inflammation, which is a hallmark of
progressive HIV infection and better predicts disease outcome than plasma viral load. We
hypothesize that alcohol overconsumption and HIV infection exacerbate MT, immune
activation, inflammation, and viral replication, thereby accelerating disease progression of HIV
infection and alcoholic liver disease such as alcoholic hepatitis (AH). We also hypothesize that
alcohol abstinence slows or reverses immunological and virological impacts in HIV-infected
heavy drinkers. We have formed a research team consisting of six scientists with
complementary expertise in basic, translational, and clinical research of AH and HIV
immunopathogenesis to undertake paradigm-changing investigations in the field of alcohol
abuse in HIV patients (Aim 1, UH2 phase). We will enroll HIV-infected heavy drinkers and
controls for studying alcohol's impact on HIV-associated comorbidities (Aim 2, UH2 phase).
Participants recruited in the UH2 phase will be followed up every 6-month for a year for UH3
phase longitudinal analysis (Aim 3). The UH3 phase will also recruit and follow up new
participants to perform a longitudinal analysis of alcohol's impact on MT, immune cell activation,
inflammation, and viral replication and integration in HIV-infected heavy drinkers with or without
AH (UH3 Phase). Our proposal is highly innovative and will greatly aid in developing novel
biomarkers and therapies of HIV-infected heavy drinkers. The biosample repository, upon its
placement in the public domain, will become a significant resource for facilitating national and
international investigations of alcohol and HIV interactions.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10245323
- **Project number:** 5UH3AA026218-05
- **Recipient organization:** INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Qigui A. Yu
- **Activity code:** UH3 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $301,782
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-15 → 2024-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10245323

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10245323, Alcohol's impact on immunological and virological profiles in HIV patients (5UH3AA026218-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10245323. Licensed CC0.

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