Important note: Information in this article was accurate in November 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.AIDSWEEKLY Plus; November 11, 2002
Michael Greer, Senior Medical Writer
"Expression of the CD95 (APO-1/Fas) ligand (CD95L) is critically involved in activation-induced cell death (AICD) of activated T cells," explained Min Li-Weber and colleagues at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg and the University of Heidelburg.
Vitamin E disrupts processes involved in CD95L expression, and can thus protect T cells from HIV-induced apoptosis, Li-Weber and coauthors found.
Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and activator protein 1 (AP1) activity is inhibited by vitamin E, the researchers said. The activity of these transcription factors is necessary for CD95L expression and subsequent AICD.
Cultured T cells from HIV patients and healthy controls were treated with vitamin E. T cells from HIV patients were significantly more likely than control lymphocytes to undergo apoptosis prior to treatment, but AICD rates dropped to comparably low levels in both groups of cells after the addition of vitamin E, study data showed.
Vitamin E acts by scavenging free radicals, which help mediate NF-kappaB and AP1 activation (Vitamin E inhibits CD95 ligand expression and protects T cells from activation-induced cell death. J Clin Invest 2002 Sep;110(5):681-90.
"Administration of vitamin E suppresses CD95L mRNA expression and protects T cells of HIV-1–infected individuals from CD95-mediated apoptosis," Li-Weber and colleagues concluded. "This evidence that vitamin E can affect T cell survival may merit further clinical investigation."
The corresponding author for this report is Peter H. Krammer, Tumor Immunology G0300, German Cancer Research Center, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany. E-mail: p.krammer@dkfz-heidelberg.de.
A search at www.NewsRx.net using the search term "AIDS and HIV therapy" yielded 1193 articles in 29 specialized reports.
Key points reported in this study include:
Vitamin E may help protect T cells from HIV-induced apoptosis
The vitamin suppresses transcription factors needed for CD95 ligand (CD95L) expression
CD95L expression triggers activated-induced cell death
This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
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