title: Decreased levels of TNF-beta in cultured PBLs from HIV+ patients occur concomitantly to increased apoptosis and impaired PWM-induced proliferation and dehydrogenase activity.
abstract: The occurrence of apoptosis in cultured blood cells from HIV+ patients is well-documented. However, the relationship of this process to cytokine production is still undefined. We measured the production of TNF-beta by mitogen-stimulated PBLs from 33 HIV+ patients, while simultaneously assessing their development of apoptosis, dehydrogenase activity and proliferative responses to PWM and PHA; Only 3/33 patients had less than 30% apoptosis in PWM cultures (average value = 19.6%); patients were grouped in accordance with their having low (31-40%; average 34.8%), intermediate (41-50%, average 45.7%) or high levels (over 51%, average 53.6%) of apoptosis. Our results indicate that there is a quantitative correlation between the different degrees of apoptosis and the impaired production of TNF-beta, and support the hypothesis that PBLs from all HIV+ patients have defective immunological functions. In addition, our results show that TNF-beta production correlates with a stage classification of patients which reflects their PBL status of apoptosis, proliferative response to PWM and dehydrogenase activity in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan 00936-5067.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lavergne
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zorrilla
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: del Llano
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008233:Lymphotoxin-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000032:analysis* / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D008233:Lymphotoxin-alpha; D011043:Pokeweed Mitogens; D010088:Oxidoreductases