Aminoperazine shows promise in enhancing immune response of HIV patients

By enhancing antigen presentation by dendritic cells (DCs), aminoperazine, a new phenothiazine derivative, improves DC-driven proliferation and differentiation of T cells from HIV-positive individuals, according to a report published in the September 1st issue of the Journal of Immunology.

Dr. Wei Lu, from René Descartes University in Paris, and colleagues assessed aminoperazine’s effects on DCs and T cells from healthy donors and HIV-positive patients.

Aminoperazine enhanced the proliferation of T cells from both subject groups after mitogen or anti-CD3/CD28 stimulation. Further analysis revealed that aminoperazine’s effects were mediated by soluble DC factors released in the presence of activated T cells, the authors note. Levels of most detectable cytokines were decreased in HIV-positive patients’ T-cell assays.

The proliferation of HIV-positive patients’ T cells in response to recall antigens is often attenuated, the investigators point out. In the current study, aminoperazine dramatically enhanced this response. In addition, aminoperazine increased the anti-HIV activity of CD8+ T cells and enhanced the gag-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity of T cells.

“Our findings indicate that DC-driven, T-cell proliferation and antigen recognition can be increased in vitro by aminoperazine, leading to the efficient expansion of viral antigen-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes of HIV-positive patients, ” the authors state. “These findings might have practical implications for immune-based therapies of HIV infection and of diverse immunodeficiencies.”

Lu W et al. Enhanced dendritic cell-driven proliferation and anti-hiv activity of cd8(+) t cells by a new phenothiazine derivative, aminoperazine. J Immunol 2001 Sep 1;167(5):2929-35
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11509641?dopt=Abstract