Accumulating data suggest that iron may have a role in the regulation of HIV-infection. In the present study, we determined by radioimmunoassay the levels of hepcidin, a key regulator of iron homeostasis, in sera of 182 women infected with HIV-1 under highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). In the total cohort, hepcidin levels were lower in individuals infected with HIV than in controls (3.20 ± 3.06 vs. 5.68 ± 3.66 nmol/L, P = 0.009). Serum hepcidin concentrations were strongly correlated positively with iron, ferritin, urea, and uric acid. In the total cohort of patients with abnormal viral load and CD4 cell count <500 cells/mm(3) , a strong positive correlation was found between hepcidin and viral load. Hepcidin level was significantly higher in HIV-patients with high viremia than in patients with undetectable viral load. Iron level was significantly lower in HIV-patients with high viral load compared with patients with undetectable viral load. This study suggests that hepcidin controls serum iron, especially in response of iron utilization by HIV for viral replication. The possibility of using inhibitors of hepcidin expression as adjunct therapy for HIV-patients is discussed.
Keywords: HIV-1; iron; iron homeostasis.
© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.