Effect of a recombinant HIV gpl60 vaccine on monokine production

An investigation was undertaken to determine whether a recombinant gp 160 envelope protein, which is currently being evaluated as a vaccine for AIDS, induces or modulates the production of tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) or interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β). Incubation of monocytes from healthy, HIV‐seronegative persons with 0.0001–1.0 μg of the recombinant vaccine did not result in the secretion of TNF‐α or IL‐1β, nor did the recombinant product augment or suppress monokine production by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulated monocytes. The vaccine was also without a stimulatory or modulatory effect upon TNF‐α or IL‐1β secretion by monocytes from a patient with the AIDS‐related complex (ARC) and from the monocytic THP‐1 cell line. The lack of effect of gp 160 on monokine production has important implications for its efficacy as a vaccine for AIDS.