A recent study published in Frontiers in Immunology explored the safety and efficacy of using aflibercept, an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug, to treat inflammatory disease in ocular cells infected with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1).
Give me a rundown on HTLV-1.
Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus known to cause extensive, multisystem diseases such as HTLV-1-associated myelopathy, adult T-cell leukemia, and HTLV-1 uveitis—an inflammatory ocular disease.
Why study an anti-VEGF drug?
VEGF is associated with eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy, and works as treatment with anti-VEGF antibodies to block the disease processes.
While previous research illustrated that HTLV-1 mimics VEGF, an analysis of an anti-VEGF as treatment for HLVT-1 had not been conducted.
Now talk about the study.
Researchers assessed the safety of using aflibercept as treatment for HTLV-1 in a co-culture model of human retinal epithelial (RPE) cells and T-cells infected with HTLV-1. They also observed inflammatory cytokines and chemokines released during the body’s immune response.
So what were the results?
Cytokine and chemokine production did not demonstrate any impact from the aflibercept—nor did it increase the viral load within the cells or proliferation of RPE cells. Researchers noted that the use of aflibercept did not worsen HTLV-1 inflammation within the eye.
Take home.
The findings suggest that an anti-VEGF antibody as treatment for HTLV-1 infection does not cause a worsening in HTLV-1-related inflammation and—as a result—could potentially be safe for use.
Study authors noted that further evaluation on the use of anti-VEGF therapy for HTLV-1 treatment in animal or human models may help confirm this data.