Background: Balance and imbalance between oxidant stress and antioxidants contributes to the manifestations of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Previously, we demonstrated a characteristic cytokine pattern in marrow supernatant from HIV patients who underwent diagnostic examinations.
Methods: In this report, we have determined the protein nitrotyrosine (pNT) concentration (an indicator of nitric oxide-superoxide interaction) as well as the concentration of the redox enzyme thioredoxin (Trx) in marrow supernatant from HIV patients, healthy controls, and other patients, and in serum from comparable subjects.
Results: pNT concentrations were similar in serum and marrow supernatant and did not differ between subject subsets. Trx concentrations in both marrow supernatant and serum were higher for HIV patients than for other subjects; serum Trx concentrations were significantly higher than marrow Trx concentrations for the non-HIV patients and controls. The ratios of pNT/Trx concentrations in serum were similar in all subsets tested. In marrow aspirate, however, these ratios differed widely and significantly, with the highest values observed in non-HIV patients and the lowest in HIV patients. Only for HIV patients were serum and marrow supernatant pNT/Trx ratios similar. In HIV patients, marrow Trx concentrations correlated with CD4 count, CD4/CD8 ratio, and marrow colony-forming unit E (CFU-E) concentration; marrow pNT concentration correlated with the concentration of tumor necrosis factor in marrow supernatant, and with platelet count. No correlations were observed in other subject subsets.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that there is a degree of local regulation of the redox state of the marrow microenvironment that varies with the patients' clinical statuses, and which is associated with effects on hematopoiesis.