title: Serum hepcidin levels in women infected with HIV-1 under antiviral therapy.
abstract: Accumulating data suggest that iron may have a role in the regulation of HIV-infection. In the present study, we determined by radioimmunoassay the levels of hepcidin, a key regulator of iron homeostasis, in sera of 182 women infected with HIV-1 under highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). In the total cohort, hepcidin levels were lower in individuals infected with HIV than in controls (3.20 ± 3.06 vs. 5.68 ± 3.66 nmol/L, P = 0.009). Serum hepcidin concentrations were strongly correlated positively with iron, ferritin, urea, and uric acid. In the total cohort of patients with abnormal viral load and CD4 cell count <500 cells/mm(3) , a strong positive correlation was found between hepcidin and viral load. Hepcidin level was significantly higher in HIV-patients with high viremia than in patients with undetectable viral load. Iron level was significantly lower in HIV-patients with high viral load compared with patients with undetectable viral load. This study suggests that hepcidin controls serum iron, especially in response of iron utilization by HIV for viral replication. The possibility of using inhibitors of hepcidin expression as adjunct therapy for HIV-patients is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Fédération de Biochimie de l'hôpital Edouard Herriot, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Malvoisin
authors.forename: Djamila
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Makhloufi
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Livrozet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000302:isolation & purification; D064451:Hepcidins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D044967:Serum / Q000737:chemistry; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents; D064451:Hepcidins; D007501:Iron
keywords: HIV-1; iron; iron homeostasis