CATIE HIV/AIDS THEORY - The chemicals of change

HIV/AIDS THEORY - The chemicals of change

TreatmentUpdate43: Vol. 4, No. 3, July, 1993
Sean Hosein

IL-2 (interleukin-2) is an important T-cell growth factor. According to the NCI scientists people with HIV infection produce less and less of this chemical over time. At the same time more and more of IL-4 is produced. By the time AIDS occurs the level of IL-4 has started to fall, while levels of another chemical IL-10 increase. Thus what is happening is that the Th2 response becomes activated and this reduces the Th1 response. This conversion of the Th1 response is done by chemical messengers of the immune system called cytokines (interferons, interleukins). It is likely that IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-13 play a role in suppressing Th1 responses.

Why Are Some People Able to Resist HIV?

The results of the experiments by the NCI researchers suggest that those subjects who were repeatedly exposed to HIV and who remained healthy and HIV-antibody negative had an immune response that was described as Th1. This CMI (cell-mediated-immunity) was able to keep the infection under control. Even when these subjects were re-exposed to HIV their Th1 response kept them healthy.

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ÆGIS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Elton John AIDS Foundation, iMetrikus, Inc., the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1993.

Copyright © 1993 - TreatmentUpdate. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Editor, The Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange, 555 Richmond St. West, Suite 505, Box 1104, Toronto, ON, M5V 3B1 • Phone: 416-203-7122 • Toll Free: 1-800-263-1638 • Fax: 416-203-8284 http://www.catie.ca

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