HIV Patients Respond To Amino Acid Supplements

Supplementation with a special form of cysteine, an amino acid, might help HIV-infected patients fight off infections and live longer, according to a pilot study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Physiology.

"Supplementation with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) appears to effectively boost the production of a natural antioxidant known as glutathione in symptom-free HIV-infected patients," says Dr. Farook Jahoor, a scientist with the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine.

Glutathione neutralizes many harmful substances that enter the body, as well as those produced normally by cells. It also plays a critical role in regulating production and maintaining the health of white blood cells needed to fight infection. Glutathione is produced in every cell of the body from three amino acids - cysteine, glycine, and glutamic acid.

"It was assumed that HIV-patients had low glutathione levels because demand for the antioxidant was greater than production. However, the fact that even symptom-free HIV patients had low levels suggested that the problem could be on the production side," says Dr. Jahoor, a Baylor associate professor of pediatrics.

Dr. Jahoor suspected that the HIV virus inhibited glutathione production by blocking the transport of cysteine into cells. Since cells transport NAC in a different manner, he believed that this form of cysteine could bypass the block and allow glutathione production to recover.

After one week of NAC supplementation, study participants were making glutathione at the same rate as healthy individuals. The amount of glutathione found in their blood cells was also approaching normal.

"These results suggest that the addition of NAC supplements to their overall therapy could improve HIV-patients' ability to cope with infection," Dr. Jahoor says.

The next phase of the study will examine whether NAC supplements can help maintain glutathione levels over time and reduce the frequency and severity of infection. Researchers also plan to examine whether NAC supplements can help HIV-patients already suffering from the secondary infections associated with the disease.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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