Antiretroviral treatment induces a shift to type-2 cytokine responses in HIV-1 infected pregnant women.
We report on a cross-sectional study on proliferation and cytokine production (IFN-gamma, IL-12, IL-5 and TNF-alpha) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), activated or not with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in HIV-1-infected pregnant women, untreated or treated with zidovudine. We compared the results with healthy women, either pregnant or not, and with HIV-1-infected, non-pregnant women. The most significant results indicate that basal IL-5 production in HIV-1-infected pregnant women was higher than in the rest of the groups, being even higher in the zidovudine-treated than in the untreated group. IL-5 and TNF-alpha production by PHA-activated PBMC was also higher in HIV-1 pregnant women than in controls and infected non-pregnant women. IFN-gamma production was much higher in healthy women than in the other groups. Finally, the IFN-gamma/IL-5 (Th1-type/Th2-type-cytokine) ratio was lower in HIV-infected than in uninfected groups. Zidovudine treatment reduced basal IL-12 and increased PHA-stimulated IL-5 production. Our results indicate that both HIV-1 infection and pregnancy favored a Th2-type response by T cells. Interestingly, zidovudine-treated pregnant women had a significantly higher Th2-type response than untreated ones.
Alonso
R
R
Division of Immunology, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
Resino
S
S
Bellón
J M
JM
Muñoz-Fernández
M A
MA
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000276:immunology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000145:classification; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000494:pharmacology*
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D010835:Phytohemagglutinins; D015215:Zidovudine