Production of cytokines by peripheral blood monocytes/macrophages infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1).

The study of monocyte/macrophage functions after human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection may help in understanding the pathogenesis of AIDS. The production of four cytokines, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), by peripheral blood monocytes/macrophages was evaluated after in vitro infection with HIV-1. HIV-1 infection of these monocytes/macrophages did not result in release of any of these cytokines. Similarly, treatment of uninfected cells with purified recombinant HIV-1 envelope protein did not result in cytokine production. After stimulation with endotoxin or endotoxin plus interferon-gamma, HIV-1-infected monocytes/macrophages produced amounts of TNF alpha, IL-6, GM-CSF, and IL-1 beta comparable to that of uninfected cells. HIV-1 infection does not appear to induce or alter cytokine production by mononuclear phagocytes, which retain the capacity to produce these cytokines after endotoxin stimulation.