摘要
objective: to evaluate simultaneously the functional state of cd4+ and cd8+ t lymphocytes from venezuelan hiv-1-infected pediatric patients. methods: children were assigned to subgroups of rapid progressors (rps) and slow progressors (sps), based on clinical features. to determine the degree of cd4+ and cd8+ t-lymphocyte functionality, flow cytometry techniques were used, and diverse parameters of the functionality of these cells were characterized by ex vivo tests, such as expression of cd95/fas and cd127, and frequency of apoptosis. in addition, we determined, in cultured peripheral blood mononuclear cells, hiv-specific proliferation and the production of interleukin-10 (il-10), tumor necrosis factor alpha (tnf-汐) and interferon gamma (ifn-污), besides measuring intracellular ifn-污 in cd4+ t cells. results: our results indicate that several molecular and cellular mechanisms of cd4+ and cd8+ t lymphocytes are deteriorated in rps in comparison with sps and controls. indeed, both types of t lymphocytes from rps exhibited an increased expression of cd95/fas (p %26lt; 0.01), a significantly reduced expression of cd127 (p %26lt; 0.01), and an augmented frequency of apoptosis (p %26lt; 0.01). furthermore, t cells from these patients displayed a diminished capacity of mitogen proliferation (p %26lt; 0.05), a reduced percentage of ifn-污 producing cd4+ t lymphocytes (p %26lt; 0.05) and a smaller capacity of il-10, tnf-汐 and ifn-污 production (p %26lt; 0.01) in comparison with sp and control patients. conclusion: our findings indicate that the decline of the normal t lymphocyte molecular and cellular responses is related to a rapid progression and a decreased resistance to hiv-1 infection in children.