Elevated nitric oxide level in aqueous humor of AIDS patients with cytomegalovirus retinitis.
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) retinitis is the most common ocular opportunistic infection in AIDS. It often leads to blindness if left untreated. The questions as to how HCMV infection causes retinal immunopathogenesis and visual destruction in AIDS patients have not been completely established. Here we reported that the nitric oxide (NO) levels in aqueous humor samples in 10 AIDS patients with CMV retinitis (104.3 +/- 27.1 microM) were higher than the levels in 7 AIDS patients without CMV retinitis (36.1 +/- 10.4 micro M; p < 0.001). After ganciclovir treatment, the NO level in the vitreous body of 5 patients declined dramatically (53.4 +/- 11.8 micro M). By using immunohistochemistry assay, we found that the aggregates of macrophages infiltrated in the CMV-infected retina of 4 AIDS patients. Moreover, the expression of inducible-form NO synthase was detected in the infected retina of these patients. These results suggest that NO production in the eye may play a fundamental role in the immunopathogenesis of AIDS patients with CMV retinitis.
Hsu
Wen-Ming
WM
Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital and National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Chen
Steve S-L
SS
Peng
Chi-Hsien
CH
Chen
Chieh-Fu
CF
Ko
Yu-Chieh
YC
Tsai
Der-Chong
DC
Chou
Ching-Kuang
CK
Ho
Larry L-T
LL
Chiou
Shih-Hwa
SH
Liu
Jorn-Hon
JH
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001082:Aqueous Humor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002449:Cell Aggregation; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008264:Macrophages / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D012173:Retinitis / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C496319:NOS2 protein, human; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D015774:Ganciclovir