Opposite effects of chronic HIV infection and antiretroviral medication on organismal and organ-specific biological aging.

Yubo Zhang, Vasiliki Matzaraki, Nadira Vadaq, Marc J T Blaauw, Wilhelm Vos, Albert Groenendijk, Louise van Eekeren, Janneke Stalenhoef, Marvin Ah Berrevoets, Casper Rokx, Mareva Delporte, Twan Otten, Leo A B Joosten, Cheng-Jian Xu, Yang Li, Linos Vandekerckhove, Andre van der Ven, Mihai G Netea

Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.Department of Internal Medicine and Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

People with HIV (PWH) on combination antiretroviral therapy have an elevated risk for aging-related non-AIDS comorbidities. We assess whether HIV infection accelerates biological aging in two independent cohorts of PWH using six organ-specific and three organism-wide aging clocks derived from plasma proteomics of healthy individuals. Proteomic age acceleration significantly correlates with DNA methylation age and is linked to comorbidities and mortality. HIV infection accelerates systemic biological aging, with Mendelian randomization demonstrating causality between organ aging and inflammatory or metabolic complications. Accelerated aging in PWH is further related to the total HIV reservoir, and specific antiretroviral drugs reduce age acceleration. These data reveal important causal effects between chronic HIV infection, antiretroviral medication, biological aging and age-associated diseases, highlighting targets for improving health span in PWH.

The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.

Research summary

Chronic HIV infection accelerates biological aging, while specific antiretroviral medications can reduce this age acceleration. This paper is relevant as it explores the mechanisms of biological aging in the context of chronic disease and potential interventions that could improve health span, addressing root causes of aging-related issues.

Author of this paper? Send a correction.