Title:Plasma Mitochondrial DNA Levels as a Biomarker of Lipodystrophy Among HIV-infected Patients Treated with Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART).
VOLUME: 15 ISSUE: 10
Author(s):Z. Dai, W. Cai, F. Hu, Y. Lan, L. Li, C. Chung, B. Caughey, K. Zhang and X. Tang
Affiliation:Institute for Genomic Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
Keywords:Biomarker, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV),
lipodystrophy, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), plasma.
Abstract:Lipodystrophy is a common complication in HIV-infected patients
taking highly active antiretroviral therapy. Its early diagnosis is crucial for
timely modification of antiretroviral therapy. We hypothesize that mitochondrial DNA in plasma may be a
potential marker of LD in HIV-infected individuals. In this study, we compared plasma mitochondrial DNA levels
in HIV-infected individuals and non-HIV-infected individuals to investigate its potential diagnostic value.
Total plasma DNA was extracted from 67 HIV-infected patients at baseline and 12, 24 and 30 months after
initiating antiretroviral therapy. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to determine the mitochondrial DNA
levels in plasma. Lipodystrophy was defined by the physician-assessed presence of lipoatrophy or
lipohypertrophy in one or more body regions.
The mitochondrial DNA levels in plasma were significantly higher at baseline in HIV-infected individuals than in
non-HIV-infected individuals (p<0.05). At month 30, 33 out of 67 patients (49.2%) showed at least one sign of
lipodystrophy. The mean plasma mitochondrial DNA levels in lipodystrophy patients were significantly higher
compared to those without lipodystrophy at month 24 (p<0.001). The receiver operating curve analysis
demonstrated that using plasma mitochondrial DNA level (with cut-off value >5.09 log10 copies/ml) as a
molecular marker allowed identification of patients with lipodystrophy with a sensitivity of 64.2% and a
specificity of 73.0%.
Our data suggest that mitochondrial DNA levels may help to guide therapy selection with regards to HIV
lipodystrophy risk.
