Association Between Different Antiretroviral Therapy Regimens and Adipokine Secretion Profile in HIV-Infected Individuals

This study investigated the impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) on adipokine concentrations, which are bioactive molecules secreted by adipose tissue and involved in the regulation of metabolism and inflammation. Alterations in adipokine levels may contribute to the metabolic disturbances observed in people living with HIV. The analyzed adipokine panel included resistin, visfatin, chemerin, angiopoietin-like protein 2 (ANGPTL2), lipocalin-2 (LCN2), Wnt family member 5A (Wnt5a), adiponectin, omentin, vaspin, secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (SFRP5), and apelin. Blood samples were collected from people living with HIV and HIV-negative control participants. Adipokine concentrations were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Patients were further stratified according to their cART regimen, including either protease inhibitor (PI)-based or integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI)-based therapy. Plasma concentrations of ANGPTL2 and vaspin were significantly higher, whereas concentrations of visfatin, SFRP5, and adiponectin were significantly lower in HIV-infected patients compared with controls. Comparison of patients receiving INSTI- or PI-based regimens with the control group revealed significant differences in visfatin, SFRP5, and adiponectin concentrations. Notably, adiponectin concentrations were significantly lower in the INSTI-treated subgroup than in patients receiving PI-based therapy. These findings suggest that five of the examined adipokines may be associated with HIV infection and cART exposure, potentially contributing to the development of metabolic disturbances in this population. Further studies involving larger cohorts of individuals with HIV receiving long-term cART are required to better elucidate the relationship between adipokine alterations and the risk of treatment-related metabolic complications.