International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN (Online): 2319-7064 Index Copernicus Value (2013): 6.14 | Impact Factor (2015): 6.391 Volume 5 Issue 4, April 2016 www.ijsr.net Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY Assessment of Antioxidant Enzymes and Cortisol Levels among HIV Patients on HAART Brown Holy 1 , Elechi-Amadi, Kemzi Nosike 2 1, 2 Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Npkolu, Port Harcourt, Nigeria Abstract: The chronic oxidative stress that HIV patients go through brought the need for assessment of the antioxidant levels into focus as an adjunct to the standard regiment of treating HIV patients. This study was on 116 HIV patients, of which 60 were receiving antiretroviral therapy and 56 were apparently healthy and age-matched individuals as control subjects. The bio-data and medical history of the subjects were obtained using questionnaire. These included duration of HIV infection and duration of antiretroviral treatment. The subjects that participated in this research gave their informed consent, did not have tuberculosis, diabetes or severe malaria; those with any of these conditions were excluded from the research. Female subjects who were pregnant were also excluded from the study. The subjects were within 20-70 years of age, and have had HIV for at least one year for the test group, while the control were HIV negative. Five millilitres of blood was collected from each subject after overnight fast, for the assay of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, cortisol, and CD4. The result revealed that the mean values of GPX and SOD levels of HIV positive patients on HAART were significantly lower than the control (p=0.0001). The mean cortisol levels of HIV patients on HAART were significantly higher than the control (p=0.0001). Similar trend was observed in male and female categories. Based on the results, it is indicative that HIV patients are constantly under oxidative stress, HIV drug therapy and increased cortisol levels have negative effects on the immune status of HIV patients. The need to incorporate antioxidant in treatment regiment is advocated. Keywords: Antioxidant, oxidative stress, cortisol, antiretroviral, superoxide dismutase 1. Introduction The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retro-virus that affects the CD4 + T-Cells in humans, leading to a decline in immune response. This consequently leads to a condition known as Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in humans [1]. HIV is a retrovirus, it carries genetic information in RNA rather DNA [2]. When it attaches to a host cell, the RNA is converted to DNA with the aid of the enzyme, Reverse Transcriptase. In the host’s cell, there is a replication of the viral particle [2] As a result of this, there is immune suppression in HIV patients, leading to a diminished response to infection and tumours [2,3]. This is due to destruction of CD4 + T-cells by HIV. Free radicals, which include Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS) are produced by living organisms as a result of normal cellular metabolism. At low concentrations they perform beneficial physiological functions, through cellular responses and immune function, but at high concentrations they cause adverse modifications to the cellular components [4, 5]. There are three major ROS that are of physiological importance in the human system. They include superoxide ion, hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide, and they are endogenous oxidants. Other endogenous oxidants include hypochlorous acid, peroxyl radicals and hydroperoxyl radicals. Most cells can produce superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and nitrogen oxide on demand [6].Also, antibodies, regardless of origin or antigenic specificity, could convert oxygen to hydrogen peroxide [7]. Endogenously the body generates ROS in the mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, phagocytosis and other metabolic sources. Superoxide radical is produced in the mitochondria through the electron transport chain. This radical is transformed into hydrogen peroxide, which can react with transition metals like iron and copper to form hydroxyl radicals [8]. There are also exogenous sources of oxidants. These include cigarette smoke, radiations and heavy metals. Cigarette smoke contains many oxidants and free radicals and organic compounds. When inhaled into the lungs there is an accumulation of neutrophils and macrophages, which further increase the injurious effects of the oxidants. Heavy metals induce cellular damage through lipid peroxidation and reactions with nuclear proteins and DNA [9]. The human body has a various antioxidants whose functions counterbalance the effects of the oxidant [10].These antioxidants can be divided into enzymatic and non – enzymatic. The enzymatic oxidants in human system include glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase, as the major ones [4,10]. Superoxide dismutase acts on superoxide radical while glutathione and catalase act on the peroxides, although the only substrate for catalase is hydrogen peroxide. Glutathione peroxidase acts on both hydrogen peroxide and all other types of peroxides. HIV-infected patients have oxidative imbalance early in the disease, and there is formation of free radicals [11]. Thus, HIV infection increases oxidative stress which may result in oxidative damage [12]. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which results from cellular reactions, may enhance viral replication by activating nuclear transcription factors, which ultimately leads to an increased rate of viral gene expression [13]. There is also an increased rate of CD4 + apoptosis in HIV infection. Thus, viral infections can interfere with metabolic and physiological mechanism of host cell. Since HIV thrives in the oxidized environment, the antioxidant defence system in human serum becomes insufficient to circumvent HIV replication secondary to cellular ROS production [14]. Cortisol is a hormone that is secreted in the adrenal gland. Its secretion is usually in response to the adrenocorticotropic Paper ID: NOV162237 633