ANTIOXIDANT NUTRIENTS - ASSOCIATIONS WITH PERSISTENT HUMAN-PAPILLOMAVIRUS INFECTION

Research from the past several years has definitively shown intermedia te and high risk-type human papillomavirus (HPV) infection to play a s ignificant role in cervical carcinogenesis, Persistent compared with i ntermittent infection appears to confer an elevated risk, and cofactor s may be necessary to allow the virus to progress to cervical cancer, We explored the association between circulating concentrations of the antioxidant nutrients (alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, bet a-cryptoxanthin, alpha-tocopherol, gamma-tocopherol, and ascorbate) an d persistent HPV infection among 123 low-income Hispanic women who wer e all nonsmokers and were not currently using vitamin and mineral supp lements, In addition, the association between these nutrients and grad e of cervical pathology, independent of HPV status, was assessed, Inte rmediate and high risk-type HPV infection was assessed by the Digene H ybrid Capture System at two time points, 3 months apart, At the second interview, cytology, colposcopy, and a fasting blood draw were conduc ted, Mean concentrations of serum and plasma antioxidant nutrients wer e calculated within categories of HPV status (two times HPV negative, one time HPV positive, and two times HPV positive) and colposcopy, Adj usted mean concentrations of serum beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, and alpha- and gamma-tocopherol were on average 24% (P < 0.05) lower among women two times HPV positive compared with either two tim es HPV negative or one time HPV positive, Independent of HPV status, a -tocopherol was significantly inversely associated with grade of cervi cal dysplasia (normal, 21.57 mu M; cervical intraepithelial neoplasia III, 17.27 mu M). The results obtained in this study need to be confir med in larger cohort studies with a longer follow-up period.