Thalidomide analogue CC-3052 reduces HIV+ neutrophil apoptosis in vitro

Thalidomide has significant immunomodulatory properties and has been used successfully in the treatment of oral ulcers and wasting in HIV patients. However, its use is limited by its poor bioavailability due to low solubility and short half life in solution, and teratogenic and neurotoxic side-effects. Recently, water-soluble analogues of thalidomide with significantly greater immunomodulatory activity and reduced side-effects have become available. We examined the effect of thalidomide and one analogue, CC-3052, on neutrophil apoptosis following culture for 20 h in vitro. Apoptosis was assessed by reduced CD16 expression and Annexin V binding using flow cytometry. Thalidomide or CC-3052 alone had no effect on neutrophil apoptosis when used at physiological levels. However, when used together with prostaglandin E2 (10-7 M), a potent adenylate cyclase activator, CC-3052 but not thalidomide (both 10-5 M) reduced apoptosis in neutrophils from normal and HIV+ donors. The reduced apoptosis could not be attributed to the ability of CC-3052 to reduce tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) production, but may be due to its PDE4 inhibitor properties, as it increased [cAMP]i, and mimicked the effect of increasing [cAMP]i using dibutryl cAMP, a membrane-permeable analogue of cAMP. The results suggest a role for thalidomide analogue CC-3052 in reducing persistent activation of the TNF-alpha system in HIV without markedly impairing neutrophil viability.