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Updated: Oct 4, 2026
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Published on: June 26, 2026
Mitochondrial DNA decrease in subcutaneous adipose tissue of HIV-infected individuals with peripheral lipoatrophy
1Pacific Biomedical Research Center, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii-Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96816, USA. shikuma@hawaii.edu
Objective:
To determine whether the peripheral fat wasting (lipodystrophy), which is seen in association with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) that includes a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), is associated with a decrease in subcutaneous adipose tissue mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content or with large mtDNA deletions or insertions.
Design:
A four cohort cross-sectional study.
Methods:
The mtDNA content of subcutaneous fat tissue from the neck, abdomen and thigh was determined by polymerase chain reaction utilizing the amplification of three different mtDNA fragments. The results from HIV-infected patients with peripheral fat wasting following more than 6 months of NRTI-containing HAART were compared with the results from three different control cohorts: HIV-infected patients with a similar treatment history without lipodystrophy; HIV-infected patients naive to antiretroviral therapy and HIV sero-negative participants.
Results:
A decrease in mtDNA content was found in HAART-treated HIV-infected patients with peripheral fat wasting in comparison with subjects in the control cohorts. No large mitochondrial deletions or insertions were found.
Conclusions:
Lipodystrophy with peripheral fat wasting following treatment with NRTI-containing HAART is associated with a decrease in subcutaneous adipose tissue mtDNA content.
