Short communication: proangiogenic hematopoietic cells in acute HIV infection.

Chronic HIV infection induces significant changes in the trafficking of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). Specifically, it causes marked depletion of proangiogenic hematopoietic cells, the so-called colony-forming unit-endothelial cells (CFU-ECs). In this study we evaluated CFU-ECs in two subjects with acute HIV infection. We found that both patients already had a low CFU-EC level at the time of diagnosis. Nevertheless, after 6 months of antiretroviral therapy, the CFU-EC concentration reverted to normal values in both cases. HIV significantly depletes the CFU-EC compartment even in the early phase of infection, while 6-month therapy appears to be able to restore it.