CD4 and AIDS: Apoptosis or programmed cell death: As previously mentioned, HIV-1-induced changes in autophagy impact cellular homeostasis, leading to the accumulation of damaged organelles and proteins and ultimately contributing to cell dysfunction and apoptosis [53,54] This is particularly evident in CD4+ T cells, where impaired autophagy correlates with increased cell death and depletion, marking the progression to AIDS [49,50].