The research of inflammatory cytokines and T cell activation in peripheral blood of opportunistic infections and death in HIV

Objective The plasma levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), high sensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) and the level of T cell activation were detected in the peripheral blood inflammatory factors of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, and the relationship with opportunistic infection and prognosis was analyzed. Methods 79 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive/aids cases from May 2014 to January 2015 in first hospital of Changsha were enrolled in the study. They were divided into three groups: HIV-infected without opportunistic infections group (n=20), HIV-infected with infections group (n=43, including HIV-infected with tuberculosis group, HIV-infected with merge fungus group. HIV combined hepatitis C), death group (n=16). Serum IL-6 and the concentration of hs-CRP were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Flow cytometry was used to test the CD3+ CD4+ cell count, the percentage of CD4+ CD38+ cell and CD8+ CD38+ cell in peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC). Compare the differences among the three groups. Results The results showed that: the concentration of hs-CRP and IL-6 in peripheral blood of HIV death group was significantly higher than that in other three groups (P<0.05). The concentration of hs-CRP and IL-6 in the peripheral blood of the HIV-infected with tuberculosis group and HIV-infected with merge fungus group were significantly higher than that in the HIV-infected without opportunistic infections group (P<0.05), and the hs-CRP in the peripheral blood of the HIV combined with the hepatitis C group was higher than that in the HIV-infected without opportunistic infections group (P<0.05). The number of CD3, CD4T lymph nodes in the death group and the combined opportunistic infection group was significantly lower than that in the HIV-infected without opportunistic infections group (P<0.05). The HIV-RNA expression in peripheral blood of the death group and the combined opportunistic infection group was significantly lower than that in the HIV-infected without opportunistic infections group (P<0.05). The expression of CD8+ CD38+ on PBMC in the HIV-infected without opportunistic infections group was significantly lower than that in the death group, the tuberculosis group, the fungus group and the hepatitis C group (P<0.05). The expression of CD4+ CD38+ on PBMC in the HIV-infected without opportunistic infections group was higher than that in the death group (P< 0.05). Conclusions The concentration of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, hs-CRP) and the expression level of T cell surface CD8+ CD38+ related to immune activation were associated with opportunistic infection and prognosis of AIDS. Key words: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome/ME/CO/IM; Interleukin-6/ME; C-reactive protein/ME; Antigens, CD38; AIDS-related opportunistic infections; Prognosis