N-acetylcysteine (NAC) enhances interleukin-2 but suppresses interleukin-4 secretion from normal and HIV+ CD4+ T-cells.

We find that purified CD4+ T cells from 30 HIV+ individuals have a suppressed Interleukin-4 (IL-4) production compared to normal controls regardless of activator (anti-CD3 or Con A) or co-activator [phorbol ester (PMA or anti-CD28)], generally by 2-4 fold. In every case, the cells producing IL-4 respond more strongly to anti-CD28 co-activation than to PMA, ie, 1150 pg/ml compared to 2070 pg/ml for controls and 398 pg/ml compared to 1250 pg/ml for HIV+ cells, respectively. In contrast, anti-CD3 with PMA gives a more vigorous IL-2 response than with anti-CD28, ie, 37.3 ng/ml compared to 12.3 ng/ml for controls and 28.5 ng/ml versus 15.1 ng/ml for HIV+ cells, respectively. These data are not compatible with the TH1/TH2 switch hypothesis since IL-4 production is decreased, not increased for CD4+ HIV+ T-cells and while IL-2 production is decreased with PMA, it is not decreased significantly with anti-CD28. Interestingly, 5 mM N-acetylcysteine (NAC) acts as an immunoenhancer; mitogenesis was enhanced 2 fold or more in general for control and HIV+ CD4+ T-cells and IL-2 production was enhanced 2-3 fold for anti-CD3 (with PMA or anti-CD28) for both controls and HIV+ CD4+ cells. However, NAC suppressed IL-4 production induced by anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 in both control and HIV+ CD4+ T cells. In the other cases, it produced in general no significant change.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)