SUAD0209 | THE IMPACT OF HIGHLY ACTIVE ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY ON ENDOMETRIAL LINING AND PROGESTERONE LEVEL IN SPRAGUE-DAWLEY RAT

Airat Bakare¹, Afeez Abiade¹, Aigbe Ohihoin² | ¹Department of Anatomy, College Of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-araba, Nigeria; ²Department of Cell Biology and Neuroanatomy, Mellowes Center for Genomic Sciences and Precision Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, WI, USA

The transmission of HIV that warrants the use of antiretroviral drugs continues to be a global health issue. Recent scientific findings indicate that highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) may negatively impact female reproductive health. The characterization of the endometrial lining of the uterus has been used as a gauge to evaluate implantation indices, a fundamental reproductive event. Additionally, progesterone is a crucial stimulator of endometrial proliferation or thickening for the implantation of a fertilized egg. These two key factors exert functional effects for the normal implantation process to occur. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of the HAART regimen (lamivudine, efavirenz, and tenofovir) on the histoarchitecture of the uterus and progesterone levels in female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Thirty cyclic female SD rats were divided into three sub-treatment groups (AI, II, and III) based on the duration of HAART exposures: 8, 16, and 28 days at an equivalent dosage of 3.75 mg/kg used in humans that was calculated based on the weight of the animal. The control groups (BI, II, and III) received distilled water for the same experimental durations, respectively. Histological processing of uterine tissue was done using H&E stain, while serum analysis of progesterone level was evaluated using an ELISA kit with the procedure done according to the instruction manual. The histopathological analysis revealed alterations in uterine histomicrographs that showed vascular congestion and less-pronounced uterine glands by the 28th day of treatment. Hormonal analysis showed significant alterations in progesterone levels in the HAART-treated groups. These findings provide new information on the possible reproductive risk with HAART usage, as the uterine microenvironment may be compromised, which could hinder implantation and overall fertility. The combined effects of histopathological changes and hormone dysregulation suggest a key crack within which HAART may change from being helpful to harmful to reproductive health, particularly the implantation process.