Addition of cyclophosphamide to antiretroviral therapy does not diminish the cellular reservoir in HIV-infected persons.

The chronically HIV-infected cellular reservoir in lymphoid tissue (LT) represents a formidable obstacle to the long-term success of antiretroviral therapy. Cytoreductive chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide (CTX) reduces cells in LT, and we hypothesized that coadministration of antiretroviral therapy with CTX may diminish the cellular reservoir over time. Ten antiretroviral treatment-naive subjects were recruited, and they received stavudine, lamivudine and nelfinavir (antiretroviral therapy, ART) until 2 consecutive plasma HIV RNA levels measured < 50 copies/ml (step 1).