title: Effect of L-carnitine treatment in vivo on apoptosis and ceramide generation in peripheral blood lymphocytes from AIDS patients.
abstract: Lymphocyte apoptosis in HIV-infected individuals may play a role in T-cell depletion and therefore favor progression to AIDS. In this study, we examined the effects of a short-term (5-day) intravenous treatment with L-carnitine (6 g/day) on apoptosis of CD4 and CD8 cells from 10 AIDS patients. L-carnitine administration has been shown to induce a strong reduction in the percentage of both CD4 and CD8 cells undergoing apoptosis. Interestingly, the L-carnitine treatment, which did not show relevant side effects in four patients, led to a strong and significant reduction of peripheral blood mononuclear cell-associated ceramide, an intracellular messenger of apoptosis, that positively correlated with the decrease of apoptotic CD4- and CD8-positive cells. These results suggest that L-carnitine could be an effective antiapoptotic drug in the treatment of AIDS patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cifone
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alesse
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Di Marzio
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zazzeroni
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Famularo
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Steinberg
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vullo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Simone
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D002331:Carnitine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002518:Ceramides / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D002518:Ceramides; D002331:Carnitine