AccScience Publishing / MI / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/MI025310074
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Assessment of oxidative toxicity and folate status in HIV patients on dolutegravir-based antiretroviral therapy

Onwuka Kalu Chima1* ,  Ejike Felix Chukwurah1
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1 Department of Medical Laboratory Science/Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
MI, 025310074 https://doi.org/10.36922/MI025310074
Received: 1 August 2025 | Revised: 27 August 2025 | Accepted: 10 September 2025 | Published online: 10 October 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Dolutegravir (DTG), a key component of antiretroviral therapy (ART), has demonstrated potent virologic suppression and superior efficacy compared to standard regimens in HIV management. However, concerns about its long-term safety persist, with emerging evidence suggesting potential adverse effects. Notably, studies have reported an increased risk of neural tube defects in infants born to women exposed to DTG during pregnancy, as well as associations with neuropsychiatric effects and sideroblastic anemia. This cross-sectional study investigated plasma folate and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels—markers of antioxidant status and oxidative stress, respectively—in HIV-positive patients receiving DTG-based ART at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu. A total of 120 participants were recruited, comprising 40 treatment-naïve patients initiating DTG-based ART, 40 patients on DTG-based ART for 6 months, and 40 HIV-negative controls. Plasma folate was measured using chemiluminescence immunoassay, while MDA levels were determined spectrophotometrically. Results showed significantly elevated MDA levels in both treatment-naïve (5.72 ± 3.61 μmol/L) and 6-month DTG-treated patients (8.94 ± 5.03 μmol/L) compared to controls (1.19 ± 0.18 μmol/L). Conversely, folate concentrations were markedly lower in the DTG groups (2.23 ± 1.52 and 1.89 ± 0.54 ng/mL, respectively) than in controls (11.11 ± 1.31 ng/mL). These findings suggest that DTG-based ART may elevate oxidative stress while reducing antioxidant levels, underscoring the need for careful monitoring of its biochemical effects in HIV-positive individuals.

Keywords
Dolutegravir
Oxidative toxicity
Folate status
Antiretroviral therapy
HIV
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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Microbes & Immunity, Electronic ISSN: 3029-2883 Print ISSN: 3041-0886, Published by AccScience Publishing
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