Liver Stiffness Is Associated With Monocyte Activation in HIV-Infected Ugandans Without Viral Hepatitis

Abstract

A high prevalence of liver stiffness, as determined by elevated transient elastography liver stiffness measurement, was previously found in a cohort of HIV-infected Ugandans in the absence of chronic viral hepatitis. Given the role of immune activation and microbial translocation in models of liver disease, a shared immune mechanism was hypothesized in the same cohort without other overt causes of liver disease. This study examined whether HIV-related liver stiffness was associated with markers of immune activation or microbial translocation (MT). A retrospective case-control study of subjects with evidence of liver stiffness as defined by a transient elastography stiffness measurement ‡ 9.3 kPa (cases = 133) and normal controls (n = 133) from Rakai, Uganda was performed. Cases were matched to controls by age, gender, HIV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) status. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), endotoxin IgM antibody, soluble CD14 (sCD14), C-reactive protein (CRP), and D-dimer levels were measured. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted matched odds ratios (adjMOR) and 95% confidence intervals. Higher sCD14 levels were associated with a 19% increased odds of liver stiffness (adjMOR = 1.19, p = 0.002). In HIV-infected individuals, higher sCD14 levels were associated with a 54% increased odds of having liver stiffness (adjMOR = 1.54, p < 0.001); however, the opposite was observed in HIV-negative individuals (adjMOR = 0.57, p = 0.001). No other biomarker was significantly associated with liver stiffness, and only one subject was found to have detectable LPS. Liver stiffness in HIV-infected Ugandans is associated with increased sCD14 indicative of monocyte activation in the absence of viral hepatitis or microbial translocation, and suggests that HIV may be directly involved in liver disease.

Hepatic fibrosis and factors associated with liver stiffness in HIV mono-infected individuals

“…Destruction of the mucosal barrier leading to microbial translocation could be a driving force of LF. In a recent study, a marker of microbial translocation, elevated sCD14 levels were associated with increased LS in HIV mono-infected individuals (Redd et al, 2013). In HCV-infected patients, the CD4/8 ratio as a contributing factor to LF has also been considered (Feuth et al, 2014).…”

Impact of Antiretroviral Therapy on Liver Fibrosis Among Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Adults With and Without HBV Coinfection in Zambia

“…However, HIV infection also induces hepatic inflammation and immune activation, and unsuppressed HIV infection is a risk factor for liver fibrosis progression [2][3][4][5]. The World Health Organization (WHO) and most national guidelines recommend that HIV-hepatitis B virus (HBV)-coinfected individuals receive an antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen that contains tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) because the drug is highly potent against both viruses [6,7].…”

Poorly Controlled HIV Infection: An Independent Risk Factor for Liver Fibrosis

“…40,41 The virus can also induce hepatocyte death via the CXCR4 chemokine coreceptor 42 and promote a pro-fibrotic state within the liver through the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and monocyte activation. 43 Markers of hepatic fibrogenesis have been shown to be elevated in HIV-infected patients compared to uninfected patients, and correlated with HIV viral level. 44 …”