Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) have been associated with high oxidative stress in HIV patients. The disparity in antioxidant-oxidant levels in HIV patients favours viral replication and disease progression. This study aimed at determining the effect of ART on antioxidant enzymes activities and trace elements levels in Ghanaian HIV patients. A total of 242 participants; comprising of 105 HIV-infected patients on ART, 77 HIV-infected ART-naïve, and 60 HIV seronegative controls were recruited for the study. Whole blood was collected and used for haematological profiling, and the determination of CD4+ counts, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and trace element levels. Serum was used for liver function tests and the determination of glutathione reductase (GR) activity, and plasma was used to estimate reduced glutathione (GSH) levels. Low levels of haemoglobin (HB), hematocrit, mean cell volume (MCV) and mean cell hemoglobin (MCH), and trace elements were found in ART-naïve patients compared to those on ART and the seronegative controls. In the ART-naïve patients, glutathione reductase (GR) activity and reduced glutathione (GSH) level were significantly low compared to patients on ART and seronegative controls. Activity of SOD was significantly reduced in ART-naïve patients compared to those on ART and the control group, and manganese is the only trace element that showed a strong negative correlation with SOD activity and a positive and significant correlation with CD4+ count, and therefore needs to be investigated further. The study suggests that assessing antioxidant levels or enzymes activities of patients infected with HIV should be considered during therapy.
Highlights
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and/or highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) tilts antioxidant-oxidant balance of the host towards the oxidants, with consequential poor disease outcomes [1,2]
The current study investigated the effect of antiretroviral therapy (ART) on antioxidant enzyme activities and trace elements levels in Ghanaian HIV patients
The finding from this study agrees with other studies that have reported reduced antioxidant enzymes activities in HIV-infected patients; ART-naïve individuals showed reduced blood superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione oxidase (GPx), catalase (Cat) activities, and elevated malondialdehyde levels compared to healthy controls [4,16]
Summary
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and/or highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) tilts antioxidant-oxidant balance of the host towards the oxidants, with consequential poor disease outcomes [1,2]. Elevated levels of oxidative stress markers were reported in HIV-infected patients [3,4], and the levels of the markers were associated with low CD4+. Antioxidant enzymes activities and trace elements levels in HIV-infected patients. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AAS, NEPAD Agency, Wellcome Trust or the UK government.
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