Eosinophil differentiating activity in sera of patients with AIDS under recombinant IL-2 substitution

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Abstract
An increase in circulating eosinophils was observed in patients with AIDS or ARC who were substituted for a period of 14 days with exogenous recombinant IL-2 in the context of a Phase I/II study. IL-2 exerts a broad range of biological properties and enhances the production of a variety of other cytokines, i.e., factors for haemopoietic cell growth and differentiation. After having excluded a direct effect of r IL-2 on haemopoietic precursor cells in semi-solid agar cultures, we developped a liquid culture system and studied the effect of patients' sera collected at different time intervals before, during and after r IL-2 substitution on cell differentiation of normal human bone-marrow cells in vitro. Patients' eosinophilia was preceded by a detectable activity in the sera which induced light-density, nonadherent bone-marrow cells to differentiate into the eosinophil lineage and was assessed by the presence of eosinophil primary granules or Luxol-fast blue positive granules. Thus, these in vitro data suggest the presence of circulating mediator(s) enhancing eosinophil production and differentiation in response to in vivo substitution of r IL-2.

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