Dendritic cells (DC) are key phagocytic cells that play crucial roles in both the innate and adaptive immune responses against the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). By processing and presenting pathogen-derived antigens, dendritic cells initiate a directed response against infected cells. They activate the adaptive immune system upon recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) on infected cells. During the course of HIV-1 infection, a successful adaptive (cytotoxic CD8⁺ T-cell) response is necessary for preventing the progression and spread of infection in a variety of cells. Dendritic cells have thus been recognized as a valuable tool in the development of immunotherapeutic approaches and vaccines effective against HIV-1. The advancements in dendritic cell vaccines in cancers have paved the way for applications of this form of immunotherapy to HIV-1 infection. Clinical trials with patients infected with HIV-1 who are well-suppressed by antiretroviral therapy (ART) were recently performed to assess the efficacy of DC vaccines, with the goal of mounting an HIV-1 antigen-specific T-cell response, ideally to clear infection and eliminate the need for long-term ART. This review summarizes and compares methods and efficacies of a number of DC vaccine trials utilizing autologous dendritic cells loaded with HIV-1 antigens. The potential for advancement and novel strategies of improving efficacy of this type of immunotherapy is also discussed.

中文翻译：

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针对HIV-1感染的树突状细胞免疫疗法的演变：改进和展望。

树突状细胞（DC）是关键的吞噬细胞，它们在针对人类1型免疫缺陷病毒（HIV-1）的先天免疫和适应性免疫应答中均起关键作用。通过加工和呈递病原体衍生的抗原，树突状细胞可引发针对感染细胞的定向反应。一旦识别出感染细胞上的病原体相关分子模式（PAMP），它们就会激活适应性免疫系统。在HIV-1感染过程中，成功的适应性（细胞毒性CD8 ⁺T细胞反应对于防止感染在多种细胞中的发展和传播是必不可少的。因此，树突状细胞已被认为是开发针对HIV-1的免疫疗法和疫苗的重要工具。癌症中树突状细胞疫苗的进步为将这种形式的免疫疗法应用于HIV-1感染铺平了道路。最近进行了对被抗逆转录病毒疗法（ART）抑制的HIV-1感染患者的临床试验，以评估DC疫苗的功效，目的是激发HIV-1抗原特异性T细胞反应，理想的情况是清除感染并消除长期ART的需要。这篇综述总结并比较了许多DC疫苗试验的方法和功效，这些试验使用了载有HIV-1抗原的自体树突状细胞。还讨论了这种免疫疗法的进步潜力和提高疗效的新策略。