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Brief Report: Zinc Supplementation and Inflammation in Treated HIV
Sahera Dirajlal-Fargo1,2, Jiao Yu2, Manjusha Kulkarni3
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, OH.
Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (1999)
|October 15, 2019
Summary
Zinc supplementation effectively increased zinc levels in people with HIV on antiretroviral therapy. This intervention showed potential to modulate inflammation and gut integrity biomarkers, suggesting benefits for clinical comorbidities.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Immunology
- HIV/AIDS Research
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- People living with HIV often experience inflammation and altered immune function, even with effective antiretroviral therapy.
- Zinc deficiency is common in this population and may exacerbate inflammatory processes.
- Understanding the role of micronutrients like zinc is crucial for managing long-term health in HIV.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of zinc supplementation on inflammatory markers and monocyte activation in individuals with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy.
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of two different doses of zinc supplementation.
- To explore zinc's effect on gut integrity biomarkers.
Main Methods:
- Phase I, open-labeled, randomized double-arm study.
- Inclusion of adults (≥18 years) with HIV on stable antiretroviral therapy and low zinc levels (≤75 µg/dL).
- Randomization to low-dose (45 mg) or high-dose (90 mg) elemental zinc daily for 16 weeks, with biomarker assessment at baseline and 16 weeks.
Main Results:
- 52 participants enrolled; median age 49 years, 77% male, 73% African American.
- Circulating zinc levels significantly increased in both low-dose (to 91 µg/dL) and high-dose (to 100 µg/dL) arms.
- 48%-60% of participants showed reductions in inflammatory and gut integrity biomarkers (8%-21% reduction, large effect size).
Conclusions:
- Zinc supplementation is effective in raising circulating zinc levels in people living with HIV.
- Findings suggest zinc modulates biomarkers related to inflammation and gut integrity.
- This pilot study provides novel data on zinc's potential to impact the biological signature and comorbidities in HIV-infected individuals.
