HIGH PLASMA-LEVEL OF SOLUBLE TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR RECEPTOR-TYPE-II (STNFRII) IN ASYMPTOMATIC HIV-1-INFECTED PATIENTS

Plasma concentrations of soluble receptors for tumor necrosis factor t ype II (sTNFRII) and CD4(+) lymphocyte counts were determined in patie nts with HIV-1 infection grouped according to the 1993 classification of the CDC. Compared with healthy controls (mean +/- SD = 2.83 +/- 0.7 0 ng/ml; n = 20), higher values of sTNFRII were obtained in most of pa tients of all groups of HIV-1-infected patients. The levels of sTNFRII were 5.29 +/- 1.75 ng/ml (n = 23) for stage A1 patients, 5.27 +/- 2.2 5 ng/ml (n = 37) for stage A2 patients, 6.03 +/- 1.9 ng/ml (n = 14) fo r stage A3 patients, 7.41 +/- 3.25 ng/ml (n = 21) for stage B and stag e C patients, Intra-individual variance in sTNFRII levels in eight cli nically stable patients with HIV-1 infection was observed in the cours e of a short-time follow-up. The increase of sTNFRII plasma levels in five out of ten patients was shown at time lapses of 3 years. In contr ast to previous reports no inverse correlation between sTNFRII and CD4 (+) lymphocyte counts was found in all stages of disease. The increase d level of sTNFRII in circulating blood might reflect the activation o f the TNP alpha system. These results support an activation of this sy stem occurring early in the course of HIV infection.