Traditional Chinese Medicine etiology and pathogenesis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected Chinese rhesus macaques

Objective

To investigate the traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) etiology and pathogenesis of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) by 18-month observation of Chinese rhesus macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) mac₂₃₉.

Methods

Thirty-five healthy Chinese rhesus macaques were divided into a model group (n=30) and a control group (n=5). The model was established by inoculating monkeys intravenously with SIVmac₂₃₉. Changes in TCM symptoms after SIV infection within 18 months were then observed and recorded. Routine blood tests, SIV viral load, T-lymphocyte subsets, plasma triiodothyronine (T₃), tetraiodothyronine (T₄), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and Cortisol (Cor) were tested periodically during the experiment.

Results

During the acute infection period of SIV, model monkeys temporarily showed clinical symptoms such as diarrhea, dysphoria and slight weight loss. Decrease percentages of CD4⁺ T-lymphocytes were observed but levels of T₃, T₄, Cor, and ACTH were relatively unchanged. Monkeys in the model group during the early and middle periods of infection showed no obvious symptoms, except few monkeys exhibited transient diarrhea and reduced food intake. All variables at this stage showed normal fluctuations. In the middle period model group monkeys showed chronic and persistent diarrhea, weight loss, reduced food intake and low levels of T₃ and Cor. In the late period, symptoms including emaciation, weight loss, listlessness, crouching in corners and low levels of T₃ appeared.

Conclusion

The results suggest that the rhesus monkey SIV/SAIDS model can be applied to research on TCM etiology and pathogenesis of AIDS. According to this model, the etiology of disease is the SIV virus. The pathogenesis manifests as the invasion of SIV virus, incubation of the virus, balance between virus and healthy “Qi”, damage to spleen and kidney as the disease progressed, exhaustion of vitality and finally the failure of five zang and six fu organs.