Antiretroviral treatment reverses HI‐nduced reduction in the expression of surface antigens on alveolar macrophages in AIDS patients
MoAbs and immunoperoxidasc methods were used to identify antige‐resenting and phagocytic cells and to assess expression of HL‐R molecules on cells obtained by bronchoalvcolar lavagc (BAL) from 33 AIDS patients and nine normal volunteers. In 17 patients, not receiving antiretroviral therapy, the expression of HL‐R molecules (MoAb RFDR1) as well as the percentages of cells expressing RFD1 marker for antige‐resenting cells and RFD7 marker for mature phagocytes were significantly reduced. However, in BAL obtained after commencing treatment with zidovudine (AZT)in 21 patients or with 2′,3′–dideoxyinosine(DD1)in five patients, the expression of the markers studied was found to have returned to levels of expression seen in normal lavages. The changes observed were clearly associated with antiretroviral treatment and did not correlate with applications of other drugs, blood CD4 counts or presence of infectious organisms in BAL fluid. As the alterations in the expression of HL‐R molecules and RFD1 marker on macrophages have been shown to be associated with functional capacities of these cells, the reversal of impaired expression of phenotypic markers on alveolar macrophages in AIDS patients by AZT and DDI signifies an important ability of these drugs to modify immune reactivity and emphasizes the need to monitor such functions in HIV disease.