Cilliers Karen, Muller Christo J F
Division of Clinical Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Western Cape, South Africa.
Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council, Tygerberg, Western Cape, South Africa.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2021 Jan;199(1):41-52. doi: 10.1007/s12011-020-02129-4. Epub 2020 Apr 1.
Comorbidities of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) include HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). Changes in the brain due to HIV include atrophy, hyperintensities, and diffusion changes. However, no research has focused on trace elements concentration changes in the brain due to HIV, as seen in other neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the concentration of several trace elements in the brains of individuals with and without HIV infection. Prior to formalin embalming, blood was drawn and tested in triplicate with Determine HIV-1/2 rapid tests and confirmed with a SD HIV Device 1/2 3.0 rapid HIV Kit. After embalming, tissue was sampled from the caudate nucleus and analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. A Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine statistically significant differences between the two groups (p < 0.05). Fifteen HIV-positive and 14 HIV-negative male cadavers were included (mean age 44, range 22 to 61). Cadmium was marginally decreased, possibly due to malnutrition or utilization by the HIV nucleocapsid. Nickel was marginally increased, perhaps due to a reduced capability to remove metals from the body. In conclusion, this article provides the first information on trace element levels in the brains from HIV-infected individuals and postulates that cadmium and nickel may play a role in the pathophysiology of HAND. This information can contribute to finding a treatment for HAND, other than the use of antiretroviral drugs. Future studies should asses the levels of cadmium and nickel in a larger cohort of HIV-infected individuals.
人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）的合并症包括HIV相关神经认知障碍（HAND）。HIV导致的脑部变化包括萎缩、高信号和扩散改变。然而，与其他神经退行性疾病不同，尚无研究关注HIV导致的脑内微量元素浓度变化。因此，本研究的目的是测定HIV感染个体和未感染个体脑内几种微量元素的浓度。在福尔马林防腐处理前，采集血液并使用Determine HIV-1/2快速检测进行三次检测，并用SD HIV Device 1/2 3.0快速HIV检测试剂盒进行确认。防腐处理后从尾状核取样组织，采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法进行分析。使用Kruskal-Wallis检验确定两组之间的统计学显著差异（p < 0.05）。纳入了15例HIV阳性和14例HIV阴性男性尸体（平均年龄44岁，范围22至61岁）。镉含量略有下降，可能是由于营养不良或被HIV核衣壳利用。镍含量略有增加，可能是由于身体排出金属的能力降低。总之，本文提供了关于HIV感染个体脑内微量元素水平的首个信息，并推测镉和镍可能在HAND的病理生理学中起作用。这些信息有助于找到除使用抗逆转录病毒药物之外的HAND治疗方法。未来的研究应评估更大队列的HIV感染个体中的镉和镍水平。
