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Annals of Clinical & Laboratory Science 36:59-66 (2006)
© 2006 Association of Clinical Scientists

Associations between Hypertriglyceridemia and Serum Ghrelin, Adiponectin, and IL-18 Levels in HIV-infected Patients

Katia Falasca1,3, Maria Rosaria Manigrasso2, Delia Racciatti1, Pompea Zingariello1,3, Margherita Dalessandro1,3, Claudio Ucciferri1, Paola Mancino1, Marina Marinopiccoli2, Claudia Petrarca4, Pio Conti4, Eligio Pizzigallo1, Maria Teresa Guagnano3 and Jacopo Vecchiet1,3
1 Clinic of Infectious Diseases, 2 Department of Medicine & Aging, 3 Centre of Excellence on Aging, and 4 Department of Oncology & Neuroscience, University G. d’Annunzio School of Medicine, Chieti, Italy

Address correspondence to Prof. Jacopo Vecchiet, Dept. of Medicine and Aging, University G. d’Annunzio School of Medicine, Via dei Vestini, 66100 Chieti, Italy; tel 39 0871 358684; fax 39 0871 358595; e-mail jvecchiet{at}unich.it.

HIV-related metabolic abnormalities include hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, insulin resistance, and diabetes mellitus. Recent studies suggest a role of ghrelin in promoting the deposition of triglycerides (TG) in the liver and regulating the metabolic action of adiponectin. Visceral fat is a key regulator of inflammation and it secretes proinflammatory cytokines (eg, interleukin-18, IL-18), with potential atherogenic activity. The aim of this study was to assay serum concentrations of ghrelin, adiponectin, and IL-18 in HIV+ patients, with and without hypertriglyceridemia, who were receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The 49 HIV+ patients were divided in 2 groups: 17 patients with serum TG concentration >200 mg/dl (group A) and 32 patients with normal serum TG concentration (group B). All subjects underwent viral and immunological evaluations and determinations of serum cholesterol, glucose, ghrelin, adiponectin, and IL-18. No differences of viral and immunological parameters were observed between the 2 groups. Serum levels of ghrelin were 768 ± 596 pg/dl in group A and 470 ± 248 pg/dl in group B (p = 0.01). Group A had lower serum adiponectin levels (8.4 ± 3.6 µg/dl) than group B (18.2 ± 10.1 µg/dl; p = 0.0001). Serum IL-18 levels were 455 ± 199 pg/ml in group A and 258 ± 233 pg/ml in group B (p = 0.005). The patients with hypertriglyceridemia showed a positive correlation between serum triglyceride and ghrelin levels (r = 0.51, p = 0.03). These findings suggest potential roles of ghrelin, adiponectin, and IL-18 in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders in HIV-infected patients.

Keywords: HIV-infection, ghrelin, adiponectin, IL-18, triglycerides, hypertriglyceridemia, cytokines






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