Gut microbiota and metabolic characteristics in PWHIV with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

Gut microbiota and metabolites in PWHIV with MASLD show significant alterations, with a random forest model achieving an AUC of 0.819 for discrimination.

• Why it matters: Understanding these microbial and metabolic changes is crucial because they may influence inflammation and oxidative stress, which are involved in MASLD progression in PWHIV.
• What they did: The study analyzed 60 fecal and plasma samples from PWHIV with and without MASLD using 16S rRNA sequencing, LC/MS metabolomics, and cytokine/oxidative stress marker assessments, identifying key microbial and metabolite differences.
• The result: Findings suggest that modulating gut microbiota, such as increasing Faecalibacterium and Anaerobutyricum, could be a potential treatment strategy, and plasma metabolites may serve as noninvasive markers for MASLD in PWHIV.