Reduction in Interleukin‐2‐Producing Cells but not Th1 to Th2 Shift in Moderate and Advanced Stages of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type‐1‐Infection: Direct Analysis of Intracellular Cytokine Concentrations in CD4⁺ CD8⁻ T Cells

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that CD4+ T lymphocytes shift from the Th1 type to the Th2 type during disease progression in patients with the human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1). In the present study, we used a modified method that allowed a direct measurement of intracellular cytokines in CD4+ CD8- T cells. A total of 48 HIV-1-infected (HIV+) and 16 HIV-1-uninfected (HIV-) individuals were studied. The percentages of CD4+ CD8- T cells producing interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-4 (IL-4), or interleukin-5 (IL-5) in HIV+ and HIV- subjects were 23.6% versus 34.9% (P < 0.01), 13.7% versus 13.2%, 1.3% versus 1.0%, and 1. 2% versus 0.9%, respectively. The population of IL-2-producing cells decreased proportionately with reductions in CD4 counts (< 200/mm3, 200-500/mm3, and > 500/mm3 to 18.0%, 23.5%, and 30.5%, P < 0.05, respectively). There was an inverse correlation between the percentage of IL-2-producing cells and plasma viral load (r = - 0. 446, P < 0.05). However, the percentages of CD4+ CD8- T cells producing other cytokines were not different between HIV+ and HIV-. Our cross-sectional study demonstrated a decrease in IL-2-producing cells but not the Th1 to the Th2 shift in the CD4+ CD8- T cell population in the moderate and advanced stages of HIV-1-infection.

Host Immune Responses in the Course of Bovine Leukemia Virus Infection.

“…Alternations in cytokine expression have been shown to be correlated with disease progression in chronic retroviral infections, suggesting that cytokine imbalances may contribute to disease progressions [8,26,36,62]. In case of BLV infection, similar results were reported as summarized in Table 1.…”

Estimation of mRNA levels of interleukin (IL)-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-4 and interferon (IFN)-γ in HIV infected children in Mumbai

“…On one hand, the increase in the IL-4 / IFN-γ ratio can be related to the lowering of CD4 + T cell counts (34), while on the other, IL-10 down-regulates the Th1 cytokine response (35). The Th2 functions indicated by IL-4 production replace the normally dominant Th1 function of antigen stimulated IL-2 production during HIV progression (8).…”

“…While one group of workers has proposed a Th1-Th2 shift in cytokines (8), another group lays the onus on the decrease in the levels of IL-2 producing cells in the CD4/CD8 population in moderate and advanced stages of HIV disease (35).…”

Patterns of intracellular cytokines in CD4 and CD8 T cells from patients with mycobacterial infections

“…Later, a modified method developed in order to improve specific intracellular staining permitted the detection of cytokine-producing cells by singlelaser flow cytometry (3). This methodology is currently being used to study the possible role of specific cytokines in several human diseases (7)(8)(9), with a reduction of the time needed for analysis and an improved precision in the detection of cytokines, mainly those produced by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. However, none of the cited reports has described the kinetics of fast production of major T cell cytokines using mycobacterial antigens.…”