The CD133 Stem/Progenitor-Like Cell Subset Is Increased in Human Milk and Peripheral Blood of HIV-Positive Women.

Human milk is a significant source of different CD133 and/or CD34 stem/progenitor-like cell subsets in healthy women but their cell distribution and percentages in this compartment of HIV-positive women have not been explored. To date, a decrease of CD34 hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell frequencies in peripheral blood and bone marrow of HIV-positive patients has been reported. Herein, human milk and peripheral blood samples were collected between day 2-15 post-partum from HIV-positive and HIV-negative women, and cells were stained with stem cell markers and analyzed by flow cytometry. We report that the median percentage of CD45CD34CD133 cell subset from milk and blood was significantly higher in HIV-positive than in HIV-negative women. The percentage of CD45CD34CD133 cell subset from blood was significantly higher in HIV-positive than HIV-negative women. Moreover, percentages of CD45CD34, CD45CD34CD133, and CD45CD34CD133 cell subsets from blood were significantly lower in HIV-positive than HIV-negative women. The CD133 stem/progenitor-like cell subsets are increased in early human milk and blood of HIV-positive women and are differentially distributed to CD34 cell subset frequencies which are decreased in blood.