Trace Element Levels, Cytokine Profile and Immune Activation Status in Plasma among Repeat Blood Donors with Asymptomatic HIV-1, HBV and HCV Infection

Alice Verghese,Som Nath Singh,Debasish Chattopadhya

doi:10.4236/jbm.2017.59008

Abstract

Imbalance of essential trace elements viz. Zinc, Selenium, Iron, Copper and Magnesium has been reported to influence disease course in HIV-1, HBV and HCV infections by altering immune status. A study was taken up to examine plasma levels of Th1 (IFN-γ and IL-2) and Th2 (IL-4 and IL-10) categories of cytokines and immune activation markers (TNF-α, TNFR I and TNFR II) in an asymptomatic group of HIV-1, HBV and HCV infected blood donors in relation to trace elements. Plasma levels of Zn, Se and Mg were depressed in all the three groups of blood donors (P γ were depressed in all the three groups of blood donors (P γ, and in HBV infection while positive correlations were found between Mg and TNFR I and TNFR II and Se with TNFR II. HCV infection showed a positive correlation between Se and IFN-γ (P < 0.001), Mg and IL-4 (P = 0.02), Fe and IL-10 (P < 0.01). The present study reveals possible relationship between trace element level alterations and alterations in cytokine and immune activation levels in HIV-1, HBV and HCV infection.

Highlights

High prevalence of Human immune deficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) among blood donors has been recorded globally [1]
The present work aimed to study the impact of changes in a wide range of trace elements i.e. Zinc, Selenium, Iron, Copper and Magnesium (Zn, Se, Fe, Cu, Mg) on the status of immune activation and cytokine profile in an asymptomatic group of blood donors infected with HIV-1, HBV and HCV
All the seropositive donors were males and unmarried belonging to the age group 24 - 33 years without any significant difference compared to seronegative blood donor control

Summary

Introduction

High prevalence of Human immune deficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) among blood donors has been recorded globally [1]. In the city of Delhi, the overall prevalence in blood donors has been reported to range from 0.28% to 0.30% for HIV-1, 1.15% to 1.33% for HBV and 0.57% to 0.67% for HCV respectively [2]. There are separate reports on cytokine alterations in HIV-1, HBV and HCV infections and that on trace element alterations in these infections [7] [8] [9]. There is hardly any report on relationship between trace element status and cytokine profile in HIV-1, HBV and HCV infections in same group of individuals. The present work aimed to study the impact of changes in a wide range of trace elements i.e. Zinc, Selenium, Iron, Copper and Magnesium (Zn, Se, Fe, Cu, Mg) on the status of immune activation and cytokine profile in an asymptomatic group of blood donors infected with HIV-1, HBV and HCV

Methods

Results

Conclusion