PLoS ONE (Jan 2022)

Cocaine use associated gut permeability and microbial translocation in people living with HIV in the Miami Adult Study on HIV (MASH) cohort

  • Jacqueline Hernandez,
  • Javier A. Tamargo,
  • Sabrina Sales Martinez,
  • Haley R. Martin,
  • Adriana Campa,
  • Rafick-Pierre Sékaly,
  • Rebeka Bordi,
  • Kenneth E. Sherman,
  • Susan D. Rouster,
  • Heidi L. Meeds,
  • Jag H. Khalsa,
  • Raul N. Mandler,
  • Shenghan Lai,
  • Marianna K. Baum

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 10

Abstract

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Objective Determine if cocaine use impacts gut permeability, promotes microbial translocation and immune activation in people living with HIV (PLWH) using effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). Methods Cross-sectional analysis of 100 PLWH (ART ≥6 months, HIV-RNA Results A total of 37 cocaine users and 63 cocaine non-users were evaluated. Cocaine users had higher levels of I-FABP (7.92±0.35 vs. 7.69±0.56 pg/mL, P = 0.029) and LPS (0.76±0.24 vs. 0.54±0.27 EU/mL, PConclusions Cocaine use was associated with markers of gut permeability, microbial translocation, and immune activation in virally suppressed PLWH. Mitigation of cocaine use may prevent further gastrointestinal damage and immune activation in PLWH.