HIV, metabolic syndrome X, inflammation, oxidative stress, and coronary heart disease risk: Role of protease inhibitor exposure

Differences on measures of metabolic syndrome X and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, as well as potential pathophysiological mediators, inflammation, and oxidative stress, were examined as a function of HIV serostatus and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimen with and without protease inhibitors (Pls). Data from 164 men and women, aged 18 to 55 yr, were used to compare 82 HlV⁺ subjects who were free of hepatitis C virus and were on a stable HAART regimen for ≥6 mo, with 82 seronegative subjects matched on age, sex, body mass index, and ethnicity. For the HlV⁺ subjects, after controlling for diabetes status and HIV disease progression, PI exposure was associated with greater oxidative stress, triglyceridemia, and lipidemia than it was for non-PI-exposed HIV⁺ subjects, and the risk of a future myocardial infarction was up to 56% greater in PI-exposed than in non-PI-exposed subjects and 129% greater than in controls. Although it is likely that the greatest proportion of CHD risk in the HIV⁺ subjects may be accounted for by pathological conditions linked to HIV infection in interaction with mediating processes such as inflammation, central obesity, and dyslipidemia, which was greater than in controls, it appears that PI medications may exacerbate oxidative stress and hypertriglyceridemia to enhance this risk.