OXIDATIVE STRESS AND PLASMA ANTIOXIDANT MICRONUTRIENTS IN HUMANS WITHHIV-INFECTION

Increased lipid peroxidation induced by reactive oxygen species may pl ay a role in the stimulation of HIV replication. In this study we comp ared lipid peroxidation indexes and plasma antioxidant micronutrients between 49 nonsmoking HIV-positive patients with no active opportunist ic infection (25 asymptomatic and 24 with AIDS) and 15 age-matched ser onegative control subjects. Breath-alkane output, plasma lipid peroxid es, antioxidant vitamins, and trace elements were measured. Vitamin C (40.7 +/- 3.02 compared with 75.7 +/- 4.3 mu mol/L, P < 0.005), alpha- tocopherol (22.52 +/- 1.18 compared with 26.61 +/- 2.60 mu mol/L, P < 0.05), beta-carotene (0.23 +/- 0.04 compared with 0.38 +/- 0.04 mu mol /L, P < 0.05), and selenium (0.37 +/- 0.05 compared with 0.85 +/- 0.09 mu mol/L, P < 0.005) concentrations were significantly lower in the H IV-positive patients. Lipid peroxides (50.7 +/- 8.2 compared with 4.5 +/- 0.8 mu mol/L, P < 0.005), breath pentane (9.05 +/- 1.23 compared w ith 6.06 +/- 0.56 pmol.kg(-1).min(-1), P < 0.05), and ethane output (2 8.1 +/- 3.41 compared with 11.42 +/- 0.55 pmol.kg(-1).min(-1), P < 0.0 5) were significantly higher in the HIV-positive patients. These resul ts showed an increase in oxidative stress and a weakened antioxidant d efense system in HIV-positive patients. Whether supplementation of ant ioxidant vitamins will reduce this oxidative stress is still unknown.