Morand P, Leclerq P, Giroux C, Brion JP, Bensa C, Micoud M; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1991 Jun 16-21; 7: 161 (abstract no. W.A.1277).
Service des Maladies Infectieuses, Grenoble - France
OBJECTIVE: T lymphocytes from AIDS patients have grossly defective IL-2 production under mitogen (PHA) stimulation. In order to evaluate this defect in HIV patients (treated by AZT) and to correlate these findings with the prognosis of their disease, we measured IL-2 levels in culture supernatant of peripheral blood lymphocytes stimulated in vitro. METHODS: 41 HIV patients were every other month followed-up for more than a year with CD4 total number and IL-2 measurements: peripheral blood mononuclear cells separated by gradient centrifugation were stimulated in vitro with 1% PHA. IL-2 levels in the supernatant were measured by 3H-Thymidine incorporation of a CTLL-2 cell line. RESULTS: Total IL-2 values (579 measurements!) showed a bimodal distribution: 36% were normal (greater than 60 IU/ml), 64% dramatically low (less than 10 IU/ml). At the end of the study, patients were distributed in three groups: 23 patients had low levels of IL-2 at every follow-up (Group A); 12 patients had normal levels throughout the study period (Group B); and in 6 patients IL-2 levels were initially normal, but declined during the follow-up period. Correlation with CD4 levels: All 23 patients of Group A had CD4 less than 200/ml; in group B, 10 patients had CD4 levels over 200/ml and 2 patients were under 200/ml CD4; in group C, CD4 and IL-2 levels were parallelly decreasing but the IL-2 decrease preceded the loss of peripheral CD4 by one to two months. One year clinical follow-up: 8 deaths, 7 in group A and 1 in group C (GVH) CONCLUSIONS: This longitudinal follow-up of HIV positive patients using IL-2 production by peripheral lymphocytes revealed that the prognosis and the survival of HIV patients is closely related to the ability of their lymphocytes to produce IL-2 under stimulation, advocating not only for a quantitative defect of the lymphocyte population but also for a qualitative abnormality of T cell proliferation. Anyhow, from a clinical point of view, the assessment of IL-2 secretion in vitro is technically difficult, time-consuming and is no more able to discriminate between stability and progression of the disease than CD4 count by itself.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- AIDS Vaccines
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Antigens, CD4
- CD4 Lymphocyte Count
- Disease Progression
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Humans
- In Vitro
- Interleukin-2
- Lymphocyte Activation
- Phytohemagglutinins
- Receptors, Interleukin-2
- T-Lymphocytes
- Zidovudine
- immunology
Other ID:
UI: 102192485
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