A novel U-shaped relationship between mitochondrial mass and risk of incomplete immune reconstitution in HIV-infected patients on antiviral therapy

• Published in: Clinical immunology (Orlando, Fla.) Vol. 245; p. 109137
• Main Authors: Liu, Fang, Yang, Zongxing, Huang, Weiqiang, Zhang, Zhongdong, Shi, Jinchuan, Li, Guoping, Li, Jiamin, Zhang, Wenhui, Zheng, Guoxiang, Yan, Dingyan, Huang, Jinsong, Yu, Jianhua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-12-2022
• Subjects: Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; Antiviral Agents - therapeutic use; CD4 Lymphocyte Count; CD4+ T-cell counts; HIV; HIV Infections; Humans; Immune Reconstitution; Incomplete immune reconstitution; Mitochondrial mass; People living with HIV; HIV; CD4+ T-cell counts; People living with HIV; Incomplete immune reconstitution; Mitochondrial mass
• ISSN: 1521-6616; 1521-7035
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2022.109137

Mitochondrial mass (MM) is considered an essential parameter of the immune system, but the association of MM with incomplete immune reconstitution (IIR) in people living with HIV (PLWH) remains unclear. Here, we tested 2148 blood samples from 1999 PLWH by flow cytometry in China between August 2021 and February 2022. A novel U-shaped relationship, determined by multivariable smooth curve fitting and piecewise-linear mixed-effect model, was observed between the ratio of MM to SD (MM/SD) and IIR, with a threshold cutoff of 2.8. For MM/SD <2.8, per SD increment of MM was independently associated with 30%, 30%, 20%, and 20% decreased risk of CD4+ T-cell counts <500 cells/μL after 4 years of treatment and CD4+ T-cell counts <350 cells/μL after 4, 5, 6 years of treatment, respectively. Our study suggested that increasing MM may indicate the low risk of IIR for PLWH with MM/SD <2.8.
•A novel U-shaped relation was observed between MM and IIR in HIV-infected patients;•The significant saturated threshold of MM/SD on CD4+ T-cell counts was 2.8;•Increasing MM may indicate the risk of IIR for HIV-infected patients with MM/SD <2.8.