Immunological Profiles in HIV Positive Patients Following HAART Initiation in Kigali; Rwanda

Background: Interleukin-10; IL-2 and IFN -? are some of the crucial cytokines associated with HIV infection and pathogenesis. While IL-2 and IFN-? play critical roles in host resistance to infection; IL-10 inhibits the synthesis IFN-?; IL-2 at mRNA and protein level; exacerbating damage to immune system. Objective: To determine the levels of; changes in and correlation between CD4 count; viral load; IL-10; IL-2 and IFN-? before HAART and at six months of HAART among HIV positive patients in Kigali; with a view to understand cytokine networks particularly in relation to HAART ; and to see whether they can be used as alternative markers of the disease progression. Design: Longitudinal study. Setting: Kagugu; Kimironko; Biryogo; Gitega Health Centres and Centre Medico-Social Cornum; all located in Kigali. Subjects: Thirty three (33) HAART initiation eligible HIV positive patients including 13 women and 20 men. Results: A drop in viral load (though only a small number of patients achieved an undetectable viraemia); a recovery of CD4+ cells; a decrease in IL-10 (though it remained high for many patients especially those with unchanged viraemia); and an increase in IL-2 and IFN-? indicated a successful HAART . A negative correlation between CD4 count and viral load and between CD4 count and IL-10 (but r -0.5) was observed. IL-10 correlated positively and strongly with viremia (r 0.5 at both time points: p-values 0.05). There was no significant correlation between CD4 count; IL-2 and IFN-?. Conclusion: Results demonstrated the down-regulatory effect of IL-10 on Th1 cytokines and that a shift from Th1 to Th2 cytokine is associated with HIV disease progression. A successful HAART results in CD4+ cells recovery; drop in viraemia and IL-10 with up-regulation of Th1 cytokines. Also; findings show potential usefulness of IL-10 as a marker of HIV disease progression

Safety and Efficacy of Prunus africana and Warburgia ugandensis Against Induced Asthma in BALB/c Mice.

Aim: In-Vitro and In-Vivo safety and anti-asthmatic activity of stem bark extracts of Prunus africana and Warburgia ugandensis against induced asthma in BALB/c mice. Methodology: Cytotoxicity on Vero E6 cells were investigated using MTT assay. Acute toxicity was determined by administering single oral gavages of extracts to five groups of BALB/c at 500, 889.56, 1581.64, 2812.15 and 5000mg/kg body weight doses. Efficacy against induced asthma was determined by assaying heart blood serum for ovalbumin specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies and quantification of eosinophil proportion in Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Eight sensitized groups were used, 2 were controls, 3 were treated with P. africana extract and 3 with W. ugandensis; each treatment group received one dose concentration of 125, 250 or 500mg/kg body weight of either plant extracts. Results: P. africana CC50 was 104.08μg/ml while W. ugandensis had CC50 > 250 μg/ml. In acute toxicity, mortality and signs of toxicity were recorded within 24 hours and the mice monitored for 14 days. There was 20%, 60% and 100% mortality within 24 hours for mice that received P. africana extracts at 1581.64, 2812.15 and 5000mg/kg body weight respectively. Lethal dose (LD50) for P. africana was 2201.207mg/kg body weight. W. ugandensis extracts had no mortality recorded and the LD50 was >5000mg/kg body weight. Treatment with P. africana extracts at 500mg/kg body weight reduced the IgE and BALF Eosinophil to 0.100±0.0001 and 2.80±0.20 respectively which were significantly different from positive controls P<0.05. W. ugandensis extracts at the same concentration reduced the IgE and BALF eosinophils to 0.134±0.00016 and 3.80±0.20 respectively and were significantly different from positive controls P<0.05. Conclusion: The results attested that P. africana and W. ugandensis stem bark extracts have anti-asthmatic property though there is need for further validation of anti-asthmatic chemical compounds to augment the findings.