Assessment of plasma antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress in HIV/AIDS patients in Calabar, Nigeria

Abstract

HIV/AIDS remains a global public health challenge especially in countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Management of HIV/AIDS with ART enables patients to lead longer lives but causes changes in biochemical mechanisms, one of which is oxidative stress. The replication of HIV provirus by various pathways is activated by oxidative stress due to high cytokine and antigenic activities. However, there is a paucity of data on oxidative stress among HIV infected patients in Nigeria. The aim of this study was to compare the occurrence of oxidative stress among HIV/AIDs patients on ART and ART-naïve patients at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria.Between January 2017 and February 2018, three groups of participants (n = 225) namely; ART-naïve patients, patients on ART and controls were recruited. Serum uric acid, malondialdehyde, vitamin C and total plasma peroxides concentrations were determined using colorimetric methods. Total serum antioxidant capacity was determined using enzyme –linked immunosorbent assay. The association between each marker of oxidative stress and CD4+ cell count was determined by Pearson's correlation.Male participants had a higher (P ≤ 0.05) serum uric acid level compared to the female participants. HIV negative individuals had a higher (p < 0.05) CD4 cell count and a higher (p < 0.05) total serum antioxidant capacity than HIV/AIDS patients. However, the HIV/AIDS patients had higher (p < 0.05) levels of total plasma peroxides and oxidative stress index compared to the control group. HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy had higher (p < 0.05) levels of total plasma peroxides and oxidative stress index and lower serum vitamin C levels compared to the ART-naïve group. There was a significant negative correlation (r = -0.303, p = 0.008) between total plasma peroxides and CD4 count and also a significant negative correlation (r = -0.289, p = 0.012) between oxidative stress index and CD4 count in the ART-naïve participants.Administration of antiretroviral therapy in HIV/AIDS patients and a lower CD4+ cell count in ART-naïve patients are associated with depression of antioxidant status and oxidative stress. Efforts aimed at beefing up the antioxidant defences in HIV infected individuals should be encouraged and incorporated into the management of such patients.