Aids and cyclosporine

1993/01/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna

After the failure of the clinical sessions held in 1985-86, cyclosporine is back in fashion among AIDS researchers. The National Health Institute (NIH) in North America has prepared a protocol to test cyclosporine A in hiv-positive patients in Bethesda.

Cyclosporine, in any case, is immunosuppressive and why use it in patients completely immune from HIV? The reason is that cyclosporine, like FK 506, another immunogustatory factor, neutralizes T lymphocytes. As is known, T lymphocytes are those detected in AIDS affected by HIV 1 and HIV 2 viruses.

Seropositives aim to block T lymphocytes with cyclosporine so that the virus is trapped inside the cell and the other immunization defenses operational. HIV blocked with cyclosporine could not proliferate or contaminate other lymphocytes.