Table 2.
Effects of N-acetylcysteine on immune functions of HIV patients in two different trials.
| study no. | NAC | placebo | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| baseline | terminal | baseline | terminal | ||
| NK (lytic units per CD3−/16+/56+ cell) | 1 | 0.22±0.06 | 1.34±0.34 | 0.45±0.15 | 0.37±0.26 |
| 2 | 0.33±0.13 | 1.33±0.56 | 0.52±0.19 | 0.47±0.11 | |
| S.I. TET | 1 | 25±14 | 150±128 | 43±21 | 37±23 |
| 2 | 40±31 | 190±139 | 46±17 | 31±15 | |
| S.I. PHA | 1 | 747±137 | 1906±355 | 967±292 | 759±131 |
| 2 | 779±164 | 1267±301 | 1022±132 | 906±221 | |
Data from 40 HIV patients with antiretroviral therapy (ART; study 1) and 29 patients without ART (study 2) at baseline examination and after treatment for seven months with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or placebo. The data (mean±s.e.m.) show three immunological parameters, i.e. natural killer (NK) cell activity and proliferal T cell responses (stimulation index, S.I.) after stimulation with tetanus toxoid antigen (TET), or phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). (For other details see Breitkreutz et al. 2000a,b.)