Anticandidal activity and interleukin-1β and interleukin-6 production by polymorphonuclear leukocytes are preserved in subjects with AIDS

Abstract

Polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMN; or neutrophils) from uninfected or human immunodeficiency virus-infected subjects were tested for their ability to inhibit growth of Candida albicans and produce interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 in vitro. It was seen that PMN from AIDS (Centers for Disease Control stage IV) patients expressed equal if not greater anticandidal activity compared with the activity expressed by neutrophils from all other subjects examined. On exposure to granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor or to a mannoprotein constituent (MP-F2) from C. albicans itself, PMN from AIDS patients showed enhanced antifungal activity and production of remarkable quantities of IL-1β and IL-6. These findings suggest that the functional abilities of PMN to inhibit Candida growth and secrete relevant proinflammatory and immunomodulatory cytokines are intrinsically preserved in AIDS patients.