Tangpricha Vin, Judd Suzanne E, Ziegler Thomas R, Hao Li, Alvarez Jessica A, Fitzpatrick Anne M, McComsey Grace A, Eckard Allison Ross
1 Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta, Georgia .
AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2014 Jul;30(7):670-6. doi: 10.1089/AID.2013.0279. Epub 2014 May 28.
Antimicrobial peptide LL-37 is produced in response to active vitamin D to exert immunomodulatory effects and inhibits HIV replication in vitro. To date, no studies have investigated LL-37 in HIV-infected patients. This study sought to investigate LL-37 and the relationship to 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and HIV-related variables in this population. HIV-infected subjects and healthy controls ages 1-25 years old were prospectively enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Fasting plasma LL-37 and 25(OH)D concentrations were measured in duplicate with ELISA. HIV(+) subjects (36 antiretroviral therapy (ART)-experienced subjects; 27 ART-naïve subjects) and 31 healthy controls were enrolled. Overall, 93% were black and the median age was 20 years. There was no difference in median (interquartile range) LL-37 between the HIV-infected group and controls [58.3 (46.4,69.5) vs. 51.3 (40.8,98.2) ng/ml, respectively; p=0.57]; however, the ART-experienced group had higher concentrations than the ART-naive group [66.2 (55.4,77.0) vs. 48.9 (38.9,57.9) ng/ml, respectively; p<0.001]. LL-37 was positively correlated with 25(OH)D in controls, but not in HIV-infected groups, and was positively correlated with current CD4 and ΔCD4 (current-nadir) in the ART-experienced group. After adjustment for age, race, sex, and HIV duration, the association between LL-37 and CD4 remained significant. These findings suggest that HIV and/or HIV-related variables may alter the expected positive relationship between vitamin D and LL-37 and should be further investigated.
抗菌肽LL-37是在活性维生素D的作用下产生的，以发挥免疫调节作用，并在体外抑制HIV复制。迄今为止，尚无研究对HIV感染患者体内的LL-37进行调查。本研究旨在调查该人群中LL-37及其与25-羟基维生素D[25(OH)D]和HIV相关变量的关系。1至25岁的HIV感染受试者和健康对照者被前瞻性纳入这项横断面研究。采用酶联免疫吸附测定法（ELISA）对空腹血浆中的LL-37和25(OH)D浓度进行双份测定。共纳入了HIV(+)受试者（36名有抗逆转录病毒治疗（ART）经验的受试者；27名未接受过ART的受试者）和31名健康对照者。总体而言，93%为黑人，中位年龄为20岁。HIV感染组和对照组之间的LL-37中位数（四分位间距）无差异[分别为58.3（46.4，69.5）与51.3（40.8，98.2）ng/ml；p=0.57]；然而，有ART经验的组的浓度高于未接受过ART的组[分别为66.2（55.4，77.0）与48.9（38.9，57.9）ng/ml；p<0.001]。在对照组中，LL-37与25(OH)D呈正相关，但在HIV感染组中并非如此，并且在有ART经验的组中，LL-37与当前的CD4和ΔCD4（当前值-最低点值）呈正相关。在对年龄、种族、性别和HIV病程进行校正后，LL-37与CD4之间的关联仍然显著。这些发现表明，HIV和/或HIV相关变量可能会改变维生素D与LL-37之间预期的正相关关系，对此应进一步开展研究。
