Effect of highly active antiretroviral therapy on homocysteine plasma concentrations in HIV-1-infected patients

• Published in: Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999) Vol. 54; no. 5; p. 477
• Main Authors: Coria-Ramirez, Erika, Cisneros, Leopoldo Nieto, Treviño-Perez, Sandra, Ibarra-Gonzalez, Isabel, Casillas-Rodriguez, Jesus, Majluf-Cruz, Abraham
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 15.08.2010
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Anti-HIV Agents - adverse effects; Anti-HIV Agents - therapeutic use; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active - adverse effects; Erythrocytes - chemistry; Female; Folic Acid - analysis; HIV Infections - complications; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - pathology; HIV Infections - virology; HIV-1 - isolation & purification; Homocysteine - blood; Humans; Male; Metabolic Diseases - chemically induced; Middle Aged; Plasma - chemistry; Prospective Studies; Vitamin B 12 - blood; Vitamin B 6 - blood
• ISSN: 1944-7884
• DOI: 10.1097/QAI.0b013e3181d91088

To analyze the effect of antiretroviral therapy on homocysteine levels in HIV-1-infected patients. Observational, prospective study of patients with AIDS. We included patients with HIV-1 infection naive for antiretroviral drugs. Before and after 6 months of treatment, we evaluated fasting and postoral methionine load plasma homocysteine, serum vitamins B6 and B12, and intraerythrocyte folate levels. We studied 69 patients who began therapy for a 6-month period. Fasting and postoral methionine load plasma homocysteine levels increased significantly after 6 months of antiretroviral therapy with respect to basal values (P < 0.001). Fasting hyperhomocysteinemia was present in 7.3% of patients before treatment and in 89.9% after 6 months of therapy (P = 0.0001). Postoral methionine load hyperhomocysteinemia was found in 4.5% of subjects before therapy vs. 98.5% at the end of study period (P = 0.001). These results were not associated with folate or vitamins B6 or B12 levels. In patients with HIV-1 infection, fasting and postoral methionine load plasma homocysteine levels increased after 6 months of antiretroviral treatment. Nutritional abnormalities were not responsible for hyperhomocysteinemia, suggesting that enzymatic disturbances in the metabolic pathways of homocysteine may occur.