| Autor: |
du Toit LDV; Department of Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.; UP Research Centre for Maternal, Fetal, Newborn and Child Health Care Strategies, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.; Maternal and Infant Health Care Strategies Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria 0001, South Africa., Mason S; Human Metabolomics, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa., van Reenen M; Human Metabolomics, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa., Rossouw TM; Department of Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.; UP Research Centre for Maternal, Fetal, Newborn and Child Health Care Strategies, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.; Maternal and Infant Health Care Strategies Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Pretoria 0001, South Africa., Louw R; Human Metabolomics, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa. |
| Abstrakt: |
HIV-exposed, uninfected (HEU) children present with suboptimal growth and a greater susceptibility to infection in early life when compared to HIV-unexposed, uninfected (HUU) children. The reasons for these findings are poorly understood. We used a metabolomics approach to investigate the metabolic differences between pregnant women living with HIV (PWLWH) and their HEU infants compared to the uninfected and unexposed controls. Untargeted metabolomic profiling was performed using 1 H-NMR spectroscopy on maternal plasma at 28 weeks' gestation and infant plasma at birth, 6/10 weeks, and 6 months. PWLWH were older but, apart from a larger 28 week mid-upper-arm circumference, anthropometrically similar to the controls. At all the time points, HEU infants had a significantly reduced growth compared to HUU infants. PWLWH had lower plasma 3-hydroxybutyric acid, acetoacetic acid, and acetic acid levels. In infants at birth, threonine and myo-inositol levels were lower in the HEU group while formic acid levels were higher. At 6/10 weeks, betaine and tyrosine levels were lower in the HEU group. Finally, at six months, 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid levels were lower while glycine levels were higher in the HEU infants. The NMR analysis has provided preliminary information indicating differences between HEU and HUU infants' plasma metabolites involved in energy utilization, growth, and protection from infection. |
