Human immunodeficiency virus-infection induces major changes in high-density lipoprotein particle size distribution and composition: the effect of antiretroviral treatment and disease severity.
BACKGROUND
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with abnormal high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles. We evaluated whether HIV infection and antiretroviral treatment promotes changes in cholesterol distribution among subpopulations of HDL particles of defined sizes.


METHODS
HDL particles were isolated from 78 HIV infected patients and fractionated by gel permeation chromatography to obtain five subpopulations. Thirty-six patients were antiretroviral treatment naïve, while 42 patients were treated with efavirenz or protease inhibitors. Uninfected individuals were also included as controls.


RESULTS
The distribution of cholesterol across HDL particle sizes was affected by HIV infection itself. Antiretroviral therapy reduced these alterations; only minor changes in small and very small HDL particles were observed in treated patients (p=0.01). Untreated patients with low CD4+ T cell counts had less cholesterol in medium (p=0.006), small (p=0.04) and very small (p=0.03) HDL particles. Treated patients with high CD4+ T cell counts had less cholesterol in the largest HDL particles (p=0.04), with overall particle distributions resembling those observed in uninfected participants.


CONCLUSIONS
HIV infection itself may promote major changes in cholesterol distribution among HDL subpopulations that could be partially attenuated by current antiretroviral treatments. Further studies in larger populations are necessary to confirm the impact of HIV on lipoprotein composition and distribution.
Aragonès
Gerard
G
Centre de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari Sant Joan, Institut d'Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV), Reus, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain.
Beltrán-Debón
Raúl
R
Rull
Anna
A
Rodríguez-Sanabria
Fernando
F
Fernández-Sender
Laura
L
Camps
Jordi
J
Joven
Jorge
J
Alonso-Villaverde
Carlos
C
D000328:Adult; D000480:Alkynes; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D048588:Benzoxazines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010316:Particle Size
D000480:Alkynes; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D048588:Benzoxazines; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL; C098320:efavirenz