title: Neopterin estimation compared with the ratio of T-cell subpopulations in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus-1.
abstract: We measured neopterin, a biochemical indicator for the activation of cell-mediated immune reactions, in urines from 105 individuals at risk of infection with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1), 83 of whom were seropositive for antibody to HIV-1. We compared absolute numbers of T-cell subsets (CD4+ helper/inducer T-cells, CD8+ suppressor/cytotoxic T-cells), and the ratio of CD4+ T-cells to CD8+ T-cells with the urinary neopterin concentrations. Concentrations of neopterin in urine were inversely correlated with absolute numbers of CD4+ T-cells and with CD4+/CD8+ ratios in anti-HIV-1 seropositive subjects but not in those seronegative. Various statistical comparisons of the data further demonstrated that neopterin concentrations showed larger differences between anti-HIV-1 seronegative and seropositive subjects than absolute numbers of CD4+ T-cells or CD4+/CD8+ ratios. These results seem to indicate that neopterin concentrations increase earlier in the course of HIV-1 infection, before effects on T-cell subpopulations are detectable, and may further support the suggestion that neopterin measurement could be of use for monitoring infected subjects or predicting the progression of disease.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Banekovich
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hausen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hutterer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reibnegger
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: F D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Gschnait
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Dierich
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wachter
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000032:analysis; D001708:Biopterins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019798:Neopterin; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D001708:Biopterins; D019798:Neopterin