THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE LEVELS OF SALIVARY LACTOFERRIN AND CD4 COUNT IN HIV PATIENTS

Objectives: Lactoferrin is a multifunctional protein that plays an important role in the immune regulation and defense mechanisms. Found in body fluids such as breast milk, tears, saliva, joint fluid, vaginal secretions, semen, and plasma. The highest levels are found in human colostrum (8 mg/mL), whereas lower levels are in saliva (0.008 mg/mL). Lactoferrin’s levels will increase when exposed to infection and/or at the location of inflammation. The progression of HIV disease is in line with the decrease of CD4 count, leading to decrease the immune activity; which eventually causing the patients become susceptible to opportunistic infection. In vitro, lactoferrin have a protective effect against infections.
This research's objective was to find out the correlation between the levels of salivary lactoferrin and the number of CD4 count in HIV patients.
Methods: The samples used for the tests in this cross sectional research were taken from 30 patients with HIV and the obtained levels of salivary lactoferrin were analized using ELISA method.
Results: The laboratory test from 30 samples (16 samples with CD4 count < 100 cells/mm³ and 14 samples with CD4 count > 100 cells/mm³) showed that there is a strong and significant correlation (correlation value at 0.63 with p < 0.05) between the salivary lactoferrin and CD4 count in the HIV patients. It was also found that there is a difference in the level of salivary lactoferrin found in the HIV patients with CD4 count < 100 cells/mm³ and those with CD4 count > 100 cells/mm³
Conclusions: This research concluded that there is a correlation between the level of salivary lactoferrin and the CD4 count in HIV patients, and there is a difference in the level of salivary lactoferrin in HIV patients between those with CD4 count less than 100 cells/mm³ and those that have CD4 count of at least 100 cells/mm³