Effect of first, second, and third trimester placental factors on CD4, CCR5, and CXCR4 expression in human peripheral blood lymphocytes.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate effect of first, second, and third trimester placental factors (PF) on CD4, CCR5, and CXCR4 expression in human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), and to explore their influence on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vertical transmission. METHODS: Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were treated with first, second, and third trimester PF (concentration 25%) respectively for 24 hours. The expression of CD4, CCR5, and CXCR4 in PBLs, and the percentages of CCR5(+), CXCR4(+)ìand CCR5(+)CXCR4(+) cells in peripheral blood CD4(+) lymphocytes were determined with flow cytometry. RESULTS: All trimester PFs reduced CCR5 expression in PBLs. The efficiency of the first trimester PF was higher than that of the second and third trimester PF. The percentage of CCR5(+) cells in peripheral blood CD4(+) lymphocytes of PF groups was significantly lower than that of the control group, and the percentage of CCR5(+) cells in peripheral blood CD4(+) lymphocytes of the first trimester PF group was significantly lower than that of the second and third trimester group. The percentages of CCR5(+)CXCR4(+) cells in peripheral blood CD4(+) lymphocytes of PF groups were significantly decreased as compared with the control group, and the percentage of CCR5(+)CXCR4(+) cells in peripheral blood CD4(+) lymphocytes of the first trimester PF group was significantly lower than that of the third trimester PF group. CONCLUSION: PF can reduce the expression of CCR5 in human PBLs and peripheral blood CD4(+) lymphocytes, indicating that PF might reduce R5 virus infection via preventing HIV entry, and might play an important role in reducing R5 virus intrauterine infection.