Frequent Gross Deletion in the HIV Type 1 nef Gene in Hemophiliacs Treated with Korean Red Ginseng: Inhibition of Detection by Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

Twenty hemophiliacs were infected with Korean subclade B (KSB) of HIV-1 from two cash-paid plasma donors in Korea in 1990. Our previous studies revealed that Korean red ginseng (KRG) intake increases the frequency of gross deletion in the nef gene (g Delta nef). We investigated whether KRG and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) affected the frequency of g Delta nef in the 20 hemophiliacs who share common characteristics of the HIV-1 source, mode of transmission, and infection time. Over a 10-year period, we obtained 522 nef amplicons by nested PCR using 172 samples of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Of the 522 nef amplicons, 69 (13.2%) were g Delta nef. Despite a 2-fold higher monthly dose of KRG, the frequency of g Delta nef detection (3.2%) was significantly reduced during HAART compared with that prior to HAART (20.6%) (p<0.001). g Delta nef was detected significantly more in patients treated with a monthly KRG intake of more than 60 g (26.8%) than in patients treated with a monthly KRG intake of less than 60 g (10.5%) (p<0.05). These finding suggest that the frequency of g Delta nef is dependent on the amount of KRG intake, although further study is needed. These data might provide a new perspective on the pathogenesis of HIV-1.