Higher IL-21 levels were associated with natural resistance to HIV infection in an Italian cohort. Thus we wanted to confirm such association in HIV exposed seronegative individuals (HESN) from Colombia. Cells from HESN were less susceptible to infection and expressed higher IL-21 mRNA levels than healthy controls at both baseline and 7-days post-infection; similar results were observed for IL-6, perforin, and granzyme. These results suggest that IL-21/IL-6 increase may be a distinctive quality in the profile of HIV-1 resistance, at least during sexual exposure. However, further studies are necessary to confirm the specific protective mechanisms of these cytokines.

在意大利队列中，较高的IL-21水平与对HIV感染的自然抵抗力有关。因此，我们想确认来自哥伦比亚的HIV暴露血清阴性个体（HESN）的这种关联。HESN细胞在感染后第7天和第7天均较健康对照组更不易感染，并表达更高的IL-21 mRNA水平。IL-6，穿孔素和颗粒酶的结果相似。这些结果表明，至少在性接触期间，IL-21 / IL-6的升高可能是HIV-1抗性方面的一个独特特征。但是，需要进一步的研究来确认这些细胞因子的特异性保护机制。