E. Pieri et Ma. Orsilles, EFFECT OF SERUM FROM HIV-INFECTED SUBJECTS ON SUPEROXIDE PRODUCTION BY POLYMORPHONUCLEAR NEUTROPHILS, APMIS. Acta pathologica, microbiologica et immunologica Scandinavica, 102(6), 1994, pp. 427-431
Superoxide (O-2(-)) production by polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN)
was assessed in 17 subjects with asymptomatic infection (AI), 16 patie
nts with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and 12 healthy nor
mal subjects. The effect of patients' serum on the oxidative activity
of normal and patients' PMN was also investigated. The O-2(-) producti
on, nonstimulated and stimulated with zymosan particles in the presenc
e of normal serum, was similar to that of normal controls in both grou
ps of patients. The serum from 11 out of the 17 AI subjects (65%) indu
ced an increase in the stimulated O-2(-) production in normal and pati
ents' PMN, while the serum from 8 out of the 16 AIDS patients (50%) in
duced a diminution. These effects did not appear to be related to comp
lement C-3, and circulating immune complex levels, but suggest that PM
N of HIV-seropositive patients do not present an intrinsic dysfunction
and that the impact of serum factor(s) affects the normal oxidative a
ctivity of these cells depending on the stage of infection.