AEGiS-15IAC: Production of IL-8 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in HIV-infected patients.

15th International AIDS Conference

Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Production of IL-8 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in HIV-infected patients.

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. A10010)

Seraokaya TI
The Republican Center for HIV/AIDS prevention, Minsk, Belarus

BACKGROUND: Nowadays attend to interleukin-8 (IL-8) which is expressed by macrophages of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients at increased levels and believed to be responsible for some of the clinical manifestations occurring during AIDS.

METHODS: Peripheral blood was obtained from 24 HIV-positive patients at different stages of disease and 13 healthy donors. Culture method was used to estimate the spontaneous and LPS-induced production of IL-8. Concentration of IL-8 in serum and supernatants were determined by ELISA. Statistical comparison of chemokine production between groups was performed using Kruskal-Wallis H-test and Mann-Whitney U-test.

RESULTS: We determined increase of IL-8 serum levels in 75% patients at the asymptomatic stage, 40% at the stage of HIV-associated secondary diseases and 100% at the stage of AIDS. The significant difference of LPS-induced production between groups was determined, with a tendency to increase while disease is progressing (P=0.027, H-test). Production of IL-8 by PBMCs in patients at the stage of AIDS is two times higher than by non-infected cells in donors (P=0,015, U-test; figure). "Vicious circle" of disease takes place, when viral proteins Vpr and Tat activate expression of proinflammatory cytokines genes, and, in their turn, TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-8, while realizing autocrinous activation of PBMCs, stimulate HIV genome expression in them.

CONCLUSION: The level of LPS-induced production of cytokines in vitro could reflect the functional state of PBMCs in vivo. If so, this enriches our knowledge about contribution of IL-8 to some of the clinical manifestations that occur during AIDS. Also, the study of IL-8 production in complex with other serological markers could help to elaborate new criteria of HIV-infection prognosis and criteria for control of specific antiretroviral therapy.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Seropositivity, HIV Infections, Interleukin-8, Cytokines, Gene Products, tat, Leukocytes, Mononuclear, Leukocytes, Chemokines, Anti-HIV Agents, Lipopolysaccharides, Macrophages, Humans, In Vitro, economics, immunology

040711
A10010