# Alcohol-associated Intestinal Dysbiosis and CD8+ T-cell Activation and Immunosenescence during HIV Infection

> **NIH NIH F30** · LSU HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER · 2020 · $50,520

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Heavy alcohol consumption is widespread among persons living with HIV (PLWH). In PLWH, the gut-associated
lymphoid tissues are a site of on-going CD8+ T-cell activation and proliferation. Chronic alcohol intake injures
the gut mucosal barrier and predisposes CD8+ T-cells to chronic stimulation by pro-inflammatory microbial
products and subsequent transition to an immunosenescent phenotype, a state of geriatric-like decline in
immune response to vaccination and carcinogenesis. In a pilot study of PLWH, we have shown that chronic
alcohol intake as measured by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) score was significantly
associated with greater numbers of circulating activated-immunosenescent CD8+ T-cells (AIT) (CD3+ CD8+
CD28- CD38+). We have separately shown that aging in humans is linked to gastrointestinal dysbiosis. Alcohol-
induced dysbiosis has been suggested to induce gut barrier leak, which may be mediated in part by expression
of enzymes, such as catalase-peroxidase (KatG), that convert alcohol to cytotoxic acetaldehyde, a potent inducer
of epithelial barrier permeability. It is unknown whether or not dysbiosis, acetaldehyde production, and gut barrier
leak contributes to premature CD8+ T-cell activated-immunosenescence in PLWH who consume alcohol. In a
preliminary analysis of PLWH who consume alcohol, we found that greater short-term alcohol intake as
measured by the 30-day total-grams alcohol timeline followback (TLFB) and serum phosphatidylethanol
concentration and medium-term alcohol intake as measured by the AUDIT score, were associated with greater
fecal dysbiosis based on 16S rRNA gene deep-sequencing. Furthermore, increased AIT were associated with
similar changes in fecal bacterial communities. TLFB, AUDIT, and AIT each positively correlated with the
predicted abundance of KatG gene count, suggesting that acetaldehyde-production capacity parallels alcohol-
and AIT-associated dysbiosis. We propose to elucidate the mechanisms by which alcohol accelerates CD8+ T-
cell activated-immunosenescence development in a cohort of PLWH who drink alcohol. We propose the
overarching hypothesis that gut dysbiosis augments AIT through increased gut microbial acetaldehyde
production and increased gut barrier leak. This proposal will provide the applicant with integrated training in
microbial bioinformatics as well as high-throughput cellular/biomolecular quantitative methodologies to test the
hypotheses that increased 1) gut dysbiosis, 2) fecal microbial acetaldehyde production, and 3) gut barrier leak
associate with increased AIT in PLWH who consume alcohol. The studies proposed in the applicant’s research
training plan will leverage the data being collected within the on-going NIAAA-funded, Aging in Louisiana:
Immunosenescence, HIV, and Socioenvironmental Factors (ALIVE) Study to provide a future physician-scientist
with vital training in translational research and to link alcohol/HIV-associated co-morbidities to specific ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9983533
- **Project number:** 5F30AA026527-03
- **Recipient organization:** LSU HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Vincent Maffei Vincent Maffei Vincent Maffei
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $50,520
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2021-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9983533

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9983533, Alcohol-associated Intestinal Dysbiosis and CD8+ T-cell Activation and Immunosenescence during HIV Infection (5F30AA026527-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9983533. Licensed CC0.

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