Mediator release in cerebrospinal fluid of human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients with central nervous system involvement

In this study we evaluated the release of some mediators of inflammatory reactions such as histamine (H), leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) leukotriene C₄ (LTC₄) and prostaglandin D₂ (PGD₂) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 15 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), eight with opportunistic infections of the central nervous system (CNS) and seven without HIV-related neurological pathology, and of 25 HIV-negative control subjects with other neurological diseases. The cerebrospinal LTB₄ level was increased in all the AIDS patients (mean 348 pg/ml); the control group revealed normal levels of LTB₄ in the CSF (mean 63.2 pg/ml). The PGD₂ level in the HIV-positive (mean 264 pg/ml) patients was higher than of the control subjects (mean 50 pg/ml), while low LTC₄ levels were found both in the HIV-positive and control groups. We did not find any significant concentration of H in the CSF of either the HIV-positive or the control subjects. These findings may be due to the presence of chronic HIV infection or to the opportunistic infections of the CNS that so often occur in the latest stages of the disease.