The CD133(+) Stem/Progenitor-Like Cell Subset Is Increased in Human Milk and Peripheral Blood of HIV-Positive Women

Human milk is a significant source of different CD133(+) and/or CD34(+) stem/progenitor-like cell subsets in healthy women but their cell distribution and percentages in this compartment of HIV-positive women have not been explored. To date, a decrease of CD34(+) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell frequencies in peripheral blood and bone marrow of HIV-positive patients has been reported. Herein, human milk and peripheral blood samples were collected between day 2–15 post-partum from HIV-positive and HIV-negative women, and cells were stained with stem cell markers and analyzed by flow cytometry. We report that the median percentage of CD45(+/high)CD34(−)CD133(+) cell subset from milk and blood was significantly higher in HIV-positive than in HIV-negative women. The percentage of CD45(dim)CD34(−)CD133(+) cell subset from blood was significantly higher in HIV-positive than HIV-negative women. Moreover, percentages of CD45(dim)CD34(+), CD45(dim)CD34(+)CD133(−), and CD45(+high)CD34(+)CD133(−) cell subsets from blood were significantly lower in HIV-positive than HIV-negative women. The CD133(+) stem/progenitor-like cell subsets are increased in early human milk and blood of HIV-positive women and are differentially distributed to CD34(+) cell subset frequencies which are decreased in blood.