B and T cell function parameters during zidovudine treatment of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of zidovudine on B cell dysregulation in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients and the phenomenon of gp120/anti-gp120 antibody complex adhesion to CD4 ⁺ cells. Compared with pretherapy figures, zidovudine treatment was not associated with a change in spontaneous in vitro synthesis of anti-HIV antibodies but was related to restoration of lymphocyte ability to produce Epstein-Barr virus-specific antibodies in 43% of previously unresponsive patients. After 30 days of therapy, the percentage of circulating CD4 ⁺/IgG ⁺ lymphocytes decreased; the number of available CD4 receptors per cell increased, and antibodies to gp120, evident in CD4 ⁺ cell eluates from most untreated patients, were no longer detectable. These results indicate that zidovudine partly restores in vitro humoral responsiveness but does not substantially influence the overall activation of the B cell compartment. The findings also suggest that zidovudine may down-regulate some immunopathologic phenomena that amplify direct viral damage.