SOLUBLE CD23 IN HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS TYPE-1 INFECTED PATIENTS

The level of sCD23 produced in the course of human immunodeficiency vi rus (HIV) infection was measured in patients grouped according to the Centers for Disease Control by using an immunoradiometric assay. Solub le CD23 was evaluated in supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) (10(6) cells/ml) stimulated by phytohemagglutinin (PHA). C ompared with healthy controls (m +/- S.D. = 1.0 +/- 0.34 U/ml, n = 7), higher values were observed in some of the patients of group II (asym ptomatic) (m +/- S.D. = 2 +/- 1.33, n = 9) and some of the patients of group IV (AIDS) (m +/- S.D. = 1.3 +/- 1.40, n = 8). Those results pro mpted us to compare the plasma levels of sCD23 in group II and group I V HIV-infected patients and in healthy individuals. Soluble CD23 plasm a levels in healthy patients (n 42) ranged from 0 to 1.5 U/ml (m +/- S .D. = 0.9 +/- 0.33), in group II patients (n 17) from 0 to 3 U/ml (m /- S.D. = 0.92 +/- 0.83) and in group IV patients (n = 73) from 0 to 2 .9 U/ml (m +/- S.D. = 1.15 +/- 0.71). The differences between the pati ents and the healthy individuals were not statistically significant bu t individual sCD23 values higher than 2 U/ml were obtained in 6% of th e group 11 patients and 16.7% of the group IV patients. Increased valu es of sCD23 were obtained in plasma from patients with secondary infec tious diseases (groups IV-C1 and IV-C2) and from patients without seco ndary infectious diseases (group II, group IV-A and group IV-B). Eleva ted values of sCD23 were detected even in patients with low counts of CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells in their peripheral blood. sCD23 has num erous activities including control of IgE synthesis and cytokine-like properties. Our results show a disarray of sCD23 in HIV-infected patie nts which could be involved in drug reactions, allergic manifestations and the IgE-level increase. Further investigations should attempt to define the role of sCD23 in clinical manifestations of HIV infection.