Cytokine and Cytokine Receptor Concentrations in Bone Marrow Supernatant from Patients with HIV: Correlation with Hematologic Parameters

Background To determine the concentrations of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α, soluble TNF receptors (sTNFR), interleukin (IL)-1β, γ-interferon (IFN), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, MIP-1β, and RANTES to which hematopoietic progenitors are exposed in vivo in HIV patients and the correlation of these concentrations with hematologic parameters, cytokine and cytokine receptor concentrations were measured by ELISA in bone marrow aspirate supernatants from 19 HIV patients undergoing diagnostic evaluation and 14 healthy paid volunteer controls. IL-1β and γ-IFN were rarely detectable. All cytokines/receptors detectable in marrow supernatant, except RANTES, showed mean concentrations 1.6- to 6.2-fold higher in patients with HIV compared to healthy controls. Methods Elevated TNF-α and MIP-1β were associated with marrow involvement by lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, or mycobacterial infection. Concentrations of all cytokines/receptors measured correlated with the severity of anemia. CD8+ lymphocytes were inversely correlated with concentrations of all cytokines measured other than MIP-1α. To identify differences specific to HIV infection, marrow supernatant cytokine concentrations were also evaluated in 9 non-HIV patients undergoing diagnostic marrow examination. Significant differences were observed in TNFα, MIP-1α, and IL-1β concentrations. Results These studies demonstrate that concentrations of these cytokines and receptors are elevated in bone marrow supernatant of HIV-infected patients with hematologic abnormalities, and that these concentrations correlate with clinical parameters in these patients. Conclusions Evaluation of local concentrations of cytokines may be relevant to understanding tissue-specific pathology in HIV-infected individuals.