title: Analysis of apoptosis and a Th1/Th2 phenotype in HIV-infected patients.
abstract: Lymphocytes from HIV patients, unlike those from normal HIV-negative subjects, underwent apoptosis upon in vitro culture. We found that the percentage of lymphocytes undergoing apoptosis was significantly higher (P = 0.005) in patients with low CD4 cell counts (< 200 CD4 cells/microliter) (60%) than in patients at earlier stage (> 500 CD4 cells/microliter) (35%). Serum IgE levels increased in two of six patients at last stage and in two of five patients at earlier stage. Spontaneous production of both IL-2 and IL-10, by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) after 48 h in culture, was greater in HIV-infected subjects and increased with disease progression. IFN-gamma production was greater in HIV-infected subjects but there was no evident change with disease progression. IL-4 production was barely detectable or not detected in both HIV-infected and HIV-negative individuals. These results indicate that spontaneous apoptosis is associated with advanced disease. However, there was no evidence of in vivo switch from the Th1 to Th2 phenotype in HIV-infected patients.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Immunologie, Faculté de Medecine et Institut Pasteur du Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarih
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Maâtaoui
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benslimane
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007073:Immunoglobulin E