Treating Metabolic Disease in HIV Infection
Treating Metabolic Disease in HIV Infection
We knew that growth hormone could be oxidative to fat in the liver. While non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is often associated with obesity, HIV patients can develop more advanced NAFLD earlier in their disease course, at lower weights, related to changes in overall fat distribution," Dr. Grinspoon says.
“Not only did the precursor hormone reduce fat, but there were also important peripheral signals of improvement in inflammation as well," says Dr. Grinspoon.
“It is a valuable model of acquired inflammation and adipose changes that we can hopefully make more generalizable to other populations as well," says Dr. Grinspoon.
Dr. Grinspoon notes that the best research should be both multidisciplinary and collaborative, which is one reason the Metabolism Unit is particularly suited to explore these topics. While focused on metabolism, the unit has strong partnerships with colleagues in the Mass General Infectious Diseases Division, HIV Group, Radiology Department, Corrigan Minehan Heart Center, and Liver Center. These collaborations focus on a broad range of topics including:
- Fat maldeposition disorders and associated inflammation and cardiovascular risk
- Fat trafficking
- Hormonal systems, including the renin–angiotensin system, that are perturbed with fat distribution
- Mechanisms of dysfunctional subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue in obesity, genetic and acquired lipodystrophy syndromes
"Staying within our own discipline sometimes robs us of the rich experience of others around us particularly here at Mass General Brigham, " says Dr. Grinspoon. "We've had the ideas, but we've brought in these collaborators to help inform these multidisciplinary the studies. Collaboration can take a while, but it's worth it."