Can repeated plasma donation by asymptomatic HIV–infected individuals delay the onset of AIDS?

Abstract

SUMMARYHealthy HIV-positive regular donors of plasma in a programme of passive immunotherapy for AIDS patients were studied over a period of about two years. None developed symptoms of clinical progression ; most seemed to make substantial gains of CD4 cells by comparison with asymptomatic individuals who were not donating. The effects of donation did not seem to diminish with repetition, and donor CD4 counts tended towards stabilizing within normal limits. Asymptomatic HIV-positive individuals were compared immunologically with ' normals ' and people with AIDS, using a battery of 25 measurements on peripheral blood. The immunological profiles of donor and non-donor asymptomatics, indistinguishable at the start, became dissimilar : donors' profiles resembled AIDS less, non-donors became less like ' normal ' and a few non-donor results could not be distinguished from AIDS. Improvement in the CD4 counts and amelioration of the immunological profile in donors provide prima facie evidence that plasmapheresis may be therapeutic for asymptomatic HIV-positive people. Further studies are justified.

Extensive viral mimicry of 22 AIDS-related autoantigens by HIV-1 proteins and pathway analysis of 561 viral/human homologues suggest an initial treatable autoimmune component of AIDS

“…Hyperactivation of the immune system is a marker of HIV-1 progression to AIDS, and immunosuppressive therapy has indeed been shown to be of benefit in some cases in conjunction with antiretroviral therapy (Argyropoulos & Mouzaki, 2006). Plasmapheresis or immunoadsorption have also been used in AIDS therapy and have shown significant benefit both in the symptoms associated with AIDS (peripheral polyneuropathy and neuromuscular disorders (Cornblath, 1988;Kiprov et al, 1988;Salim et al, 1989) or vasculitis (Cohen et al, 1993), and in the progression of AIDS itself (Raven, 1994;Bainbridge et al, 1997), including a rise in the CD4 + T-cell count (Tomar et al, 1984;Blick et al, 1998). These plasma exchange techniques remove all antibodies, some of which may well be beneficial, as well as other protein messengers including beneficial or deleterious cytokines, growth factors or peptide messengers.…”

Human retroviruses in leukaemia and AIDS: reflections on their discovery, biology and epidemiology

“…A significant question is therefore the effect of repeated plasma donation on the progress of their own disease. A study over a two-year period of 26 HIV-1 positive healthy plasma donors monitored substantial increases in their levels of circulating CD4+ T-helper cells, as compared to a similar group of healthy asymptomatic HIV-infected individuals who were submitting routine blood specimens through the same clinic, but were not donating (Bainbridge et al, 1997). Most donors seemed to be moving towards stabilising their CD4+ helper T-lymphocyte levels rather than losing cells.…”

Intermittent heterochronic plasma exchange as a modality for delaying cellular senescence—A hypothesis

“…Healthy HIV‐positive plasma donors were studied over 2 years. Their CD4 cell count made substantial gains and tended toward stabilizing to normal . In another study, healthy plasma donors showed an increase of serum testosterone levels (Kiprov, Ivanova, personal communication).…”