Biomolecular basis of the role of chronic psychological stress in the susceptibility of HIV infection and progression of AIDS

Abstract

Chronic Psychological stress (CPS) has several adverse effects both on HIV people and on HIV+ patient. 
HIV- people with CPS are more susceptible to HIV infection than the HIV- people without CPS. T-cells 
have CXCR4 receptor and Macrophages have CCR5 receptor which can bind with both glucocorticoid 
and catecholamine hormone. HIV has GP120 residue which is able to bind with both CD4 and 
CXCR4/CCR5 receptor for its entry into the host cells. CPS increases glucocorticoid and catecholamine 
concentration in blood and thereby activates cAMP signaling pathway through binding the 
CXCR4/CCR5 receptors expressed on T cells and macrophages. This signal transduction pathway leads 
to the synthesis of more CXCR4 and CCR5 receptors by those cells, and in turn the cells become more 
susceptible to HIV infection. On HIV+ patient stress hormones arrest the infected cell in G2 phase which 
is favorable for HIV replication. At the same time T-cells and macrophage are more susceptible to HIV, 
so HIV can infects a lot of immune cells and thereby makes the immune system weak. Stress also 
inhibits Th2 when the cell produces INF-γ as a response to viral attack. So that other cells remain 
vulnerable to viral infection. When T-cell count is decreased in the blood, the body cannot protect itself 
from other opportunistic infectious pathogens. As a result progression of AIDS increases rapidly.