Metabolic Fingerprintings and Metabolic Dynamics After HIV Infection:Impact of Metabolic Changes and Anti-Retroviral Therapy, Life Style and Clinical Conditions

Since the clinical application of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) in 1997, the life expectancy of HIV infected patients has been prolonged greatly. However,side effects of ART including metabolic abnormalities have become the main factors influencing patients' quality of life. Among which the abnormal lipid metabolism plays an important role. Meanwhile, metabolic conditions differ from patients applying to different combinations of ART drugs,life style and clinical conditions. Metabolomics can measure the dynamic metabolic responses of the body to stimuli or modifications. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as tools can systematically analyse the process of lipid metabolism. Metabolomics fingerprinting can be defined as the complete complement of small molecule (< 1500 Da) metabolites found in a specific cell, body fluid, organ or organism. Therefore, the study of the impact of metabolic changes and anti-retroviral therapy (ART), life style and clinical conditions is of importance in enhancing the adherence and improving the clinical outcomes of HIV infected patients.