SOLUBLE RECEPTORS FOR TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR ARE MARKERS FOR CLINICAL COURSE BUT NOT FOR MAJOR METABOLIC CHANGES IN HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS INFECTION

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) is a potential mediator of the metab olic changes in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) infection. S oluble TNF receptor types I and II (sTNFR-I and -II) presumably reflec t TNF activity. To examine the relationship between sTNFRs and host me tabolism, resting energy expenditure (REE), body composition, and tran sferrin, albumin, triglyceride, retinol-binding protein, and sTNFR con centrations were measured in 12 asymptomatic and 18 symptomatic HIV-in fected male subjects and 15 male control subjects. sTNFRs were increas ed in parallel with disease severity. REE was elevated approximately 8 % in HIV-infected subjects (P =.005). REE correlated positively with f at free mass (FFM) and the presence of HIV infection, but not with sTN FRs. Inverse correlations existed between sTNFR-I or -II and albumin c oncentration (r = -.48, P =.007, and r = -.49, P =.006, respectively), between sTNFR-II and transferrin concentration (r = =.53, P =.003), a nd between In(sTNFR-II) and percent body fat (r = -.37, P <.05), but n ot between sTNFRs and triglyceride or retinol binding protein. Thus, s TNFRs are markers for clinical course but not for major metabolic chan ges in HIV infection. Copyright (C) 1995 by W.B. Saunders Company