Alveolar macrophages from AIDS patients spontaneously produce elevated levels of TNF-alpha in vitro.
In vitro production of TNF-alpha by alveolar macrophages was investigated in 15 AIDS patients with acute interstitial pneumonia and in 4 patients with asymptomatic HIV infection (anti-HIV+) and was compared to that observed in 6 patients with chronic pulmonary disease and in 5 normal controls (undergoing a fiberoptic bronchoscopy for suspected lung malignancy), all 11 HIV negative. Our results show that unstimulated alveolar macrophages of AIDS and anti-HIV+ patients released much more TNF-alpha than subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or healthy controls did: this overproduction may play a role in the pathogenesis of lung damage infection and particularly in AIDS patients.
Antinori
A
A
Istituto di Clinica delle Malattie Infettive, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italy.
Tamburrini
E
E
Pagliari
G
G
Maiuro
G
G
Pallavicini
F
F
De Luca
A
A
Ortona
L
L
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000276:immunology; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha