Cellular antioxidant status and human immunodeficiency virus replication.

The factors that stimulate replication of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and determine the period of disease latency are poorly understood. Recent evidence from in vitro cell culture studies of HIV-infected cells suggest that HIV activity is profoundly affected by the presence of antioxidants, such as glutathione and ascorbic acid, in the cell culture medium. These in vitro observations and reports of global glutathione deficiency in nonsymptomatic HIV-seropositive subjects suggest that cellular antioxidant status may be an important factor determining the latency period of HIV infection. The molecular mechanisms underlying HIV activation are beginning to be understood and point to a potentially important role for NK-kappa B, a cellular transcription factor that may be modulated by cellular antioxidant status.