Cervicovaginal lipid mediator profiles during high-risk HPV infection associated with subsequent viral clearance or persistence: an exploratory pilot study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Background High-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the primary cause of cervical cancer, whereas most infections are spontaneously cleared. Although local immune and microbial factors associated with HPV outcomes have been investigated, the contribution of lipid mediators within the cervicovaginal microenvironment remains poorly characterized. Methods Cervicovaginal wash samples from 30 participants in a prospective longitudinal HPV cohort were analyzed by targeted liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Samples were obtained from HPV-negative women, HPV-positive women who were negative for the relevant HPV type at the subsequent visit (subsequent-clearance group), and HPV-positive women in whom the same HPV type remained detectable at the subsequent visit. Results Six lipid mediators were detected in cervicovaginal wash samples. During HPV infection, women with subsequent clearance had higher measured concentrations of total 12-HETE and total 14-HDHA than HPV-negative women. In the secondary percentage-based analysis, the relative contribution of PGE 2 was lower in the subsequent-clearance group than in both the HPV-negative and subsequent-persistence groups, while the relative contribution of total 14-HDHA was higher in the subsequent-persistence group than in HPV-negative women. Direct comparison of correlation coefficients identified an opposite TxB 2 –14-HDHA relationship in subsequent clearance and persistence. Conclusions Higher cervicovaginal concentrations of total 12-HETE and total 14-HDHA during HPV infection were associated with clearance of the relevant HPV type at the subsequent visit. The opposite TxB 2 –total 14-HDHA associations observed in subsequent clearance and persistence further suggest outcome-associated differences in lipid-mediator coordination. These exploratory findings identify lipid mediators as candidate correlates of HPV outcomes.
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
OpenAlex ID: W7223345643