INCREASED HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 REPLICATION IN HUMAN PERIPHERAL-BLOOD MONONUCLEAR-CELLS INDUCED BY ETHANOL - POTENTIAL IMMUNOPATHOGENIC MECHANISMS

Previous studies have shown that alcohol ingestion significantly incre ases human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication in periph eral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated and infected with HIV-1 i n vitro, Whether the increased replication of HTV-1 observed after alc ohol ingestion was due to unknown factors released from the gastrointe stinal tract during alcohol ingestion or to certain metabolites produc ed by intestinal flora that degraded alcohol was investigated, In addi tion, cellular mechanisms involved in the increased replication of HIV -1 after alcohol exposure were evaluated, Twelve healthy HIV-l-seroneg ative subjects abstained from alcoholic beverages for greater than or equal to 10 days. Nine were infused with 500 mg/kg ethanol (7.5% at 20 mL/kg/h) in saline, whereas 3 were infused with saline alone, Compare d with saline-infused subjects, ethanol-infused subjects' PBMC exhibit ed significantly increased replication of HIV-1 when infected in vitro , which was associated with increased inhibition of CD8+ T lymphocytes ' function by alcohol.