Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-2026
Abstract
Despite improvements in life expectancy, people with HIV (PWH) are at risk of developing HIV-associated comorbidities at a younger age when compared to HIV-uninfected individuals. This premature aging process can be attributed to various factors, such as the prolonged exposure to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), inflammation, microbial perturbances and oxidative stress. Similarly to the gut, oral dysbiosis occurs in HIV-1 infection, with cART and inflammation playing a crucial role. This gives rise to an enrichment of pathogenic microorganisms that in turn, elicit an immune response tied to chronic inflammation. Consequently, cART exposure, dysbiosis and persistent inflammation in HIV-1 infection have been associated with the production of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial dysfunction and telomere shortening, which are known hallmarks of aging. Although looking into these factors provides insight into the mechanisms underlying premature aging in PWH, there is still much we do not know about the oral microbiome and its relationship to HIV-1 infection. The objective of this review is to synthetize current evidence to better elucidate the role of the oral microbiome in HIV-1 infection and its contribution to inflammation and oxidative stress. By addressing these gaps, we aim to provide a novel perspective on the premature biological aging process in PWH and ultimately improve overall health in this population.
Recommended Citation
Solá-Morlá, Carlos, Daphne Alcalá-Zúñiga, Juan Araujo, Maria da Gloria Bonecini-Almeida, Upal Roy, and Josué Pérez-Santiago. 2026. “The Putative Role of Oral Microbiome in Premature Aging during HIV Infection: What Do We Know?” Puerto Rico Health Sciences Journal 45 (2): 50–56. https://prhsj.rcm.upr.edu/index.php/prhsj/article/view/3661.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
First Page
50
Last Page
56
Publication Title
Puerto Rico health sciences journal
Comments
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.