Immune factors involved in the cervical immune response in the HIV/HPV co-infection.
OBJECTIVE
Immune factors influencing the progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) to cancer remain poorly defined. This study investigates the expression of RANTES, MIP1alpha, COX1, COX2, STAT3, TGFbetaRI, IL10R, TNFalphaRII and TLR4 in the cervical immune response in HIV/HPV (human papillomavirus) co-infected women.


METHODS
Cervical biopsies of 36 patients were assayed by immunohistochemistry, and the Ventana Benchmark System was used for HIV-nef detection.


RESULTS
Cervices from HIV-positive patients exhibited nef in cells mainly around blood vessels, and showed a decreased expression of all the immune factors tested except IL10R and STAT3, while RANTES (5.54 cells/mm(2)) was highly expressed in comparison with controls (1.41 cells/mm(2), p = 0.028). COX1 was decreased in the HIV/HPV- (0.32 cells/mm(2), p = 0.017) and HPV-infected patients (0.21 cells/mm(2), p = 0.015) compared with controls (3.28 cells/mm(2)).


CONCLUSIONS
It is suggested that RANTES in HIV/HPV co-infection may influence the development of CIN leading to progression to cervical cancer.
Nicol
A F
AF
Laboratory of Immunopathology, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz - DBBM, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. nicol@ioc.fiocruz.br
Nuovo
G J
GJ
Salomão-Estevez
A
A
Grinsztejn
B
B
Grinsztein
B
B
Tristão
A
A
Russomano
F
F
Lapa E Silva
J R
JR
Oliveira
M P
MP
Pirmez
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000378:metabolism; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology
D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; C496511:PTGS1 protein, human