sVCAM-1 and Hematological Profiles Are Associated With CD4-Defined Disease Status in HIV Infection
Bruno Almeida-Silva1,2, Claudeir Dias da Silva-Junior3, Victor Vaitkevicius-Antão2
1Department of Tropical Medicine, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.
Journal of Medical Virology
|June 30, 2026
Summary
Soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) is linked to HIV disease severity in Brazil. Lower sVCAM-1 levels identify individuals with AIDS, suggesting its potential as a complementary biomarker for HIV research.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Biomarkers
- Public Health
Background:
- Brazil's HIV policies include universal antiretroviral therapy access.
- CD4+ T-cell count is a primary immunosuppression marker but may not capture full immune dysfunction.
- Soluble adhesion molecules (sVCAM-1, sICAM-1, etc.) are explored as potential biomarkers in HIV infection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between soluble adhesion molecules and HIV disease status in Brazil.
- To evaluate sVCAM-1 as a potential biomarker for differentiating HIV/AIDS severity.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 127 antiretroviral-naive people living with HIV (PLHIV) and 40 controls.
- Longitudinal follow-up of 33 PLHIV after antiretroviral therapy initiation.
- Quantification of soluble adhesion molecules using Cytometric Bead Array (CBA) and multivariate analyses (PCA, K-means clustering).
Main Results:
- Soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) levels were significantly lower in the AIDS group (CD4 < 350 cells/mm³) compared to NO-AIDS and control groups.
- sVCAM-1 demonstrated good discriminatory ability for AIDS status (AUC 0.79).
- Principal Component Analysis indicated hematological parameters contributed more to variability than adhesion molecules.
Conclusions:
- sVCAM-1 is associated with CD4-defined HIV disease status.
- sVCAM-1 may serve as a complementary research biomarker for HIV infection.
- Further validation of sVCAM-1 in HIV is warranted.
