Association between HIV replication and serum leptin levels in HIV-1 infected South African women
Advanced HIV infection can result in lipoatrophy and wasting, altering subjects’ appearance and resulting in social stigma and negative body image, particularly in women.
Advanced HIV infection can result in lipoatrophy and wasting, altering subjects’ appearance and resulting in social stigma and negative body image, particularly in women. This occurs even in the absence of ongoing opportunistic infections, suggesting that HIV may directly affect adipose tissue amount and distribution.
This study assessed the relationship between fat measured using anthropometry, DEXA, MRI scans and markers related to glucose and lipid metabolism with viral load in a cross-sectional sample of 83 antiretroviral-naïve HIV-1 infected South African women. A multivariable linear model was used to assess the combined effect of these variables.
The study showed that in addition to higher T cell activation, women with viral load greater than the population median had lower waist circumference, body mass index and subcutaneous abdominal fat, as well as lower serum leptin levels. Leptin is produced by adipocytes, and contributes to appetite reduction via a negative hypothalamic feedback , as well as exerting immunomodulatory activity such as inhibition of cell proliferation and promotion of type 1 adaptive responses. The study goes on to demonstrate that leptin serum levels are associated with viral replication and independent of the amount of adipose tissue. Thus in conclusion the researchers postulate that leptin may affect viral replication.
