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

• Published in: PloS one 2015-02, Vol.10 (2), p.e0116768-e0116768
• Main Authors: Jansen, Christian, Reiberger, Thomas, Huang, Jia, Eischeid, Hannah, Schierwagen, Robert, Mandorfer, Mattias, Anadol, Evrim, Schwabl, Philipp, Schwarze-Zander, Carolynne, Warnecke-Eberz, Ute, Strassburg, Christian P, Rockstroh, Jürgen K, Peck-Radosavljevic, Markus, Odenthal, Margarete, Trebicka, Jonel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Alanine; Alanine transaminase; Analysis; Antiretroviral agents; Antiretroviral therapy; Aspartate; Aspartate transaminase; Bile; Coinfection - complications; Comorbidity; Correlation; Female; Fibrosis; Gastroenterology; Health aspects; Hepatitis; Hepatitis C - complications; Hepatology; Highly active antiretroviral therapy; HIV; HIV Infections - complications; HIV patients; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension, Portal - blood; Hypertension, Portal - complications; Hypertension, Portal - physiopathology; Infections; Internal medicine; Liver; Liver - injuries; Liver cancer; Liver cirrhosis; Liver Cirrhosis - blood; Liver Cirrhosis - complications; Liver Cirrhosis - physiopathology; Liver diseases; Male; Medicine; MicroRNA; MicroRNAs; MicroRNAs - blood; Middle Aged; miRNA; Morbidity; Mortality; Pathology; Patients; Polymerase chain reaction; Portal hypertension; Portal Pressure; Retrospective Studies; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Serum levels; Transaminase; Venous pressure; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116768

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. 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. 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