PLoS ONE (Jan 2015)

Circulating miRNA-122 levels are associated with hepatic necroinflammation and portal hypertension in HIV/HCV coinfection.

  • Christian Jansen,
  • Thomas Reiberger,
  • Jia Huang,
  • Hannah Eischeid,
  • Robert Schierwagen,
  • Mattias Mandorfer,
  • Evrim Anadol,
  • Philipp Schwabl,
  • Carolynne Schwarze-Zander,
  • Ute Warnecke-Eberz,
  • Christian P Strassburg,
  • Jürgen K Rockstroh,
  • Markus Peck-Radosavljevic,
  • Margarete Odenthal,
  • Jonel Trebicka

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0116768
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 2
p. e0116768

Abstract

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BACKGROUND:Introduction of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has improved survival of HIV infected individuals, while the relative contribution of liver-related mortality increased. Especially in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension represent the main causes of liver-related morbidity and mortality. Circulating miRNA-122 levels are elevated in HIV patients and have been shown to correlate with severity of liver injury. However, the association of miRNA-122 levels and hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension remains to be explored in HIV/HCV coinfection. METHODS:From a total of 74 (31% female) patients with HIV/HCV coinfection were included. Serum levels of miRNA-122 were analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and normalized to SV-40 spike-in RNA. Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) was measured in 52 (70%) patients and the fibrosis stage was determined in 63 (85%) patients using transient elastography. RESULTS:The levels of circulating miRNA-122 were increased in HIV/HCV coinfected patients and significantly correlated with the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (rs = 0.438; p<0.001) and aspartate transaminase AST values (rs = 0.336; p = 0.003), but not with fibrosis stage (p = n.s.). Interestingly, miRNA-122 levels showed an inverse correlation with hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) (rs = -0.302; p = 0.03). CONCLUSION:Elevated miRNA-122 levels are associated with liver injury, and with low HVPG. Though, miRNA-122 levels are not suitable to predict the degree of fibrosis, they might function as indicators for portal hypertension in HIV/HCV coinfected patients.