INVESTIGATION OF HIV-INFECTED MACROPHAGE NEUROTOXIN PRODUCTION FROM PATIENTS WITH AIDS DEMENTIA

The mechanism for AIDS dementia may involve the production of toxic cy tokines. Since macrophage/microglia are the infected cells in the brai n, we were interested in the production of some of the same cytokines by HIV-infected macrophages from patients with AIDS dementia. HIV-infe cted macrophages from 11 patients with AIDS dementia were cultured and evaluated for p24, cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA, and the production of i nterleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) and other neurotoxic factors. The percentage of HIV macrophage infectivity did not correlate with the severity of dementia nor did the presence of CM V. The production of IL-6 and an unidentified neurotoxin did not corre late with HIV macrophage infectivity suggesting that these soluble fac tors are strain specific. Production of TNF alpha by HIV-infected macr ophages was relatively low (<1-35 pg/ml) and may not be a significant factor in toxicity.