Effect of serum from HIV-infected subjects on superoxide production by polymorphonuclear neutrophils

Superoxide (O2.-) production by polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) was assessed in 17 subjects with asymptomatic infection (AI), 16 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and 12 healthy normal subjects. The effect of patients' serum on the oxidative activity of normal and patients' PMN was also investigated. The O2.- production, nonstimulated and stimulated with zymosan particles in the presence of normal serum, was similar to that of normal controls in both groups of patients. The serum from 11 out of the 17 AI subjects (65%) induced an increase in the stimulated O2.- production in normal and patients' PMN, while the serum from 8 out of the 16 AIDS patients (50%) induced a diminution. These effects did not appear to be related to complement C3 and circulating immune complex levels, but suggest that PMN of HIV-seropositive patients do not present an intrinsic dysfunction and that the impact of serum factor(s) affects the normal oxidative activity of these cells depending on the stage of infection.