1. Subcutaneous Interleukin-2 in Combination with Anti-retroviral Therapy for Treatment of HIV-1-Infected Subjects
- Author
-
Lars Østergård, Carsten Schade Larsen, Bjarne Kuno Møller, and Mads Rauning Buhl
- Subjects
Male ,Time Factors ,CD3 Complex ,Constitutional symptoms ,Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ,HIV Infections ,Pharmacology ,medicine.disease_cause ,law.invention ,Leukocyte Count ,law ,Injection site ,Leukocytes ,Tachyphylaxis ,Membrane Glycoproteins ,General Medicine ,Middle Aged ,Flow Cytometry ,Infectious Diseases ,Recombinant DNA ,RNA, Viral ,Drug Therapy, Combination ,Female ,Antiretroviral medication ,medicine.symptom ,medicine.drug ,Adult ,Microbiology (medical) ,Interleukin 2 ,Anti-HIV Agents ,CD8 Antigens ,Injections, Subcutaneous ,Inflammation ,NAD+ Nucleosidase ,Pharmacotherapy ,Antigens, CD ,medicine ,Humans ,ADP-ribosyl Cyclase ,General Immunology and Microbiology ,business.industry ,Receptors, Interleukin-2 ,HLA-DR Antigens ,medicine.disease ,ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1 ,Antigens, Differentiation ,CD4 Lymphocyte Count ,HIV-1 ,Interleukin-2 ,business - Abstract
A total of 11 HIV-1 positive patients, with CD4+ cell counts between 200 and 500/microl, who were in stable anti-retroviral therapy, were treated with subcutaneous recombinant human IL-2 thrice weekly administered on an out-patient basis in a dose-escalating manner. Subcutaneous IL-2 was well tolerated and associated with only mild to moderate constitutional symptoms and local inflammation at the injection site. CD4+ cell count increased from 404 +/- 48/microl at baseline to 639 +/- 88/microl at week 6, with proportionate increases in naive cells and memory cells. Increased doses of IL-2 were then needed to sustain the number of CD4+ cells. After discontinuation of IL-2 treatment, CD4+ cell count returned to baseline levels. IL-2 induced a reduction in the percentage of CD8+ CD38+ and CD8+ HLA-DR+ cells, an increase in the fraction of CD8+ CD25+ and CD8+ CD122+, and an elevation in the number of NK-cells. IL-2 did not induce any clinically significant change in plasma HIV-RNA. In conclusion, IL-2 can safely be administered subcutaneously on an out-patient basis to HIV-infected individuals with CD4+ cell counts from 200/microl to 500/microl and with some improvement in immunological abnormalities. Continuous therapy, however, seems to result in the development of tachyphylaxia.
- Published
- 2000