HIV Treatment’s Hidden Influence: What Antiretroviral Therapies Do to Your Gut Microbiome

“[Our publication] reveals that antiretroviral remedy (ART) is essential for stopping HIV and restoring immunity in individuals residing with HIV. Nonetheless, some antiretrovirals are linked to metabolic comorbidities like weight achieve.

“Our research examined the intestine and oral microbiome of individuals residing with HIV on totally different ART regimens and its affiliation to Physique Mass Index (BMI)”, says Aswathy Narayanan first creator of the research and doctoral scholar on the Infectious Ailments and Dermatology Unit on the Division of Medication, Huddinge.

“Folks residing with HIV handled with Integrase inhibitors (INSTI), a gaggle of antivirals, confirmed greater ranges of Faecalibacterium and Bifidobacterium within the intestine, whereas these on one other group of antivirals, non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), confirmed an abundance of Megasphaera, and Staphylococcus.

“We additionally noticed greater abundance of Bifidobacterium and Dorea within the intestine of in individuals residing with HIV with greater BMI. Our research reveals that particular ARTs influence microbiome and BMI in individuals residing with HIV,” says Narayanan.

“The outcomes of this research are important, as practically 30 million individuals globally are handled with antiretroviral remedy for HIV. Our analysis supplies priceless insights into the interactions between ART, the microbiome, and physique mass index throughout remedy. Based mostly on our research, the microbiome modifications also needs to be investigated in different chemotherapeutic interventions.”

“We imagine that in future when selecting antiretroviral remedy, docs will contemplate the results on the microbiome and its related comorbidities. This method may result in potential interventions for bettering affected person well being by means of individualized microbiome modulation therapies.”

Examine methodology

“The research was carried out in shut collaboration between the Karolinska College Hospital and Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge. We collected fecal and saliva samples from 69 individuals residing with HIV and 80 wholesome controls to research microbial composition and its correlation with ART regimens and BMI,” says Narayanan.

Piotr Novak and Shilpa Ray, co-authors of the research and researchers on the Infectious Ailments and Dermatology Unit on the Division of Medication, Huddinge, state, “The subsequent step in our analysis can be to review microbiomes by shotgun sequencing to additional examine purposeful pathways by means of which particular antiretrovirals affect the intestine and oral microbiomes in our cohort.

“Moreover, we plan to conduct longitudinal research to analyze microbiome modifications over time and their correlation with medical parameters reminiscent of CD4 rely, BMI, and different inflammatory markers.”