Sumatriptan increases the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HIV-infected individuals and healthy blood donors in vitro

HN infection is characterized by the loss of CD4+ T cells as well as the lo ss of T-cell function, leading to severe immunodeficiency. The proliferativ e capacity of T cells measured in vitro as responses to antigens and mitoge ns is severely reduced during HIV infection. An increased level of the intr acellular second messenger adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) has been shown to cause impaired proliferative capacity of peripheral blood mon onuclear cells (PBMC) from HIV-infected individuals in vitro. Sumatriptan, a 5HT1d receptor agonist, inhibits the activity of adenylyl cyclases, the e nzymes responsible for regulation of the intracellular levels of cAMP. In a preliminary study sumatriptan increased the proliferative responses of PBM C to a polyclonal activator in vitro in 9 of 10 HIV-seropositive individual s (p = 0.007), and in 7 of 9 healthy blood donors (p = 0.05). This was prob ably due to a decrease in the intracellular level of cyclic AMP.