Effects of Korean red ginseng on the HIV-1 env sequence length and CpG dinucleotides.

Background: Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) and KRG combination therapies have demonstrated long-term benefits in HIV-1-infected patients. This study aimed to assess whether long-term KRG treatment influences sequence length (SL) and CpG700 content in the HIV-1 env gene. Materials and methods: 880 wild-type, full-length env gene sequences were obtained from 482 samples via nested PCR or RT-PCR over a mean duration of 8.0 ± 8.0 years in 200 HIV-1-infected patients. SL and CpG700 content were compared between KRG-naïve (KN, n = 97) and KRG-experienced (KE, n = 103) patients at the time of sequencing, including during the antiretroviral therapy (ART) period. The number of patients with 1, 2, 3 and ≥4 sequenced interval samples was 113, 34, 15, and 38, respectively. Results: In the whole cohort, the correlation between SL and disease duration (DD) from diagnosis, both before and during ART, was significantly stronger in KE patients than in KN patients (P < 0.01), whereas CpG700 showed no such correlation with DD or KRG. To reduce selection bias, we further analyzed only patients with two or more samples sequenced samples; in this subgroup, both SL and CpG700 demonstrated significant correlations with DD and KRG, with correlation strength increasing as follow-up duration increased. Notably, in the high-intake group receiving prolonged, intensive KRG treatment, CpG700 correlated more strongly with KRG than with DD or SL. Conclusion: Env SL and CpG700 content are significantly associated with KRG treatment, with the association between KRG and CpG700 becoming more evident over longer follow-up.