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Biomarkers of endothelial cell dysfunction in HIV-infected patients

1Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town and National Health Laboratory Service, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa, 2University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, 3Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 4Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States, 5National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) / University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Abstract Number: PB1291

Meeting: ISTH 2022 Congress

Theme: Vascular Biology » Inflammation and Sepsis

Background: HIV-infected patients are at increased risk of vascular disease and arterial thrombosis, linked to endothelial dysfunction and chronic inflammation.

Aims: To evaluate the presence of biomarkers of endothelial dysfunction in plasma the coagulation status of leukocytes in HIV-infected patients.

Methods: Venous blood was collected with approval from the Wits Human Research Ethics Committee from healthy controls (n=13) and compared with samples collected from HIV-infected patients (n=22). Biomarker levels in plasma were evaluated using the MILLIPLEX MAP Human Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Magnetic Bead Panel 2 (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany). Flow cytometry was performed on an LSR II flow cytometer and analysed on FlowJo (both Becton-Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, USA). Monocytes and neutrophils were identified by light scatter characteristics and expression of HLA-DR, CD33, CD14, CD16 and CD69 (monocytes) and CD33, CD16 and CD69 (neutrophils). Tissue factor was expressed as a percentage of positive cells. Descriptive statistics were computed and values were compared with a Mann-Whitney U test on Graphpad Prism (Graphpad, California, United States). A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: HIV-infected patients showed elevated humoral markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction (GDF-15, p-selectin and sICAM-1) when compared with uninfected controls. The leukocytes in these patients showed upregulation of the procoagulant tissue factor expression (Table 1).

Conclusion(s): HIV infection predisposes to endothelial dysfunction. In this study, we investigated the contribution of both humoral and cellular factors to increased cardiovascular risk. GDF-15, an independent biomarker of cardiovascular disease and sICAM-1 and p-selectin, markers associated with leukocyte trafficking across the endothelium were significantly elevated in HIV-infected patients in the absence of clinical cardiovascular disease. Tissue factor expression by leukocytes was also increased and which contributed to a general procoagulant state. Future directions will examine these factors in HIV-infected patients with established vascular disease.

Table

Table 1: Expression of Tissue factor and biomarkers of endothelial disease in HIV-infected patients compared with uninfected controls

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Mayne E, Abdool-Carim T, Lederman M, Funderburg N, Louw S. Biomarkers of endothelial cell dysfunction in HIV-infected patients [abstract]. https://abstracts.isth.org/abstract/biomarkers-of-endothelial-cell-dysfunction-in-hiv-infected-patients/. Accessed October 1, 2023.

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