Nanoudis Sideris, Yavropoulou Maria P, Tsachouridou Olga, Pikilidou Maria, Pilalas Dimitrios, Kotsa Kalliopi, Skoura Lemonia, Zebekakis Pantelis, Metallidis Symeon
1st Internal Medicine Department, AHEPA University Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 55436 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Department of Microbiology, AHEPA University Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 55436 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Viruses. 2024 Dec 19;16(12):1945. doi: 10.3390/v16121945.
People with HIV (PWH) have an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those without HIV. This study aimed to investigate the relative serum expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) associated with arterial stiffness, a significant marker of cardiovascular disease. A total of 36 male PWH and 36 people without HIV, matched for age, body mass index, pack years, and dyslipidemia, were included in the study. Participants with a history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cancer, or intravenous drug use were excluded. Markers of arterial stiffness, including carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) and augmentation index adjusted to 75 beats per minute (AIx@75), were measured via applanation tonometry. We analyzed the relative expression of 11 circulating miRNAs using real-time PCR: let-7b-5p, miR-19b-3p, miR-21-5p, miR-29a-3p, miR-126-3p, miR-130a-3p, miR-145-5p, miR-181b-5p, miR-221-3p, miR-222-3p, and miR-223-3p. cfPWV was significantly higher in PWH compared to people without HIV (9.3 vs. 8.6 m/s, = 0.019), while AIx@75, peripheral, and aortic blood pressures did not differ among groups. The relative expression of circulating miRNAs was significantly higher in PWH compared to controls for let-7b-5p (fold change: 5.24, = 0.027), miR-21-5p (fold change: 3.41, < 0.001), miR-126-3p (fold change: 1.23, = 0.019), and miR-222-3p (fold change: 3.31, = 0.002). Conversely, the relative expression of circulating miR-19b-3p was significantly lower in PWH (fold change: 0.61, = 0.049). Among HIV-related factors, the nadir CD4+T-cell count of <200 cells/mm was independently associated with the relative expression of circulating let-7b-5p (β = 0.344, = 0.049), while current non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) treatment was independently associated with the relative expression of circulating miR-126-3p (β = 0.389, = 0.010). No associations were found between the duration of HIV infection or the duration of ART and the serum miRNA expression. This study highlights a distinct circulating miRNA profile in PWH with higher cfPWV compared to those without HIV, which may contribute to increased arterial stiffness.
与未感染艾滋病毒的人相比，艾滋病毒感染者（PWH）患心血管疾病的风险更高。本研究旨在调查与动脉僵硬度相关的微小RNA（miRNA）的相对血清表达，动脉僵硬度是心血管疾病的一个重要指标。该研究共纳入了36名男性PWH和36名未感染艾滋病毒的人，他们在年龄、体重指数、吸烟包年数和血脂异常方面相匹配。排除有高血压、糖尿病、心血管疾病、癌症或静脉吸毒史的参与者。通过压平式眼压测量法测量动脉僵硬度指标，包括颈股脉搏波速度（cfPWV）和调整至每分钟75次心跳的增强指数（AIx@75）。我们使用实时聚合酶链反应分析了11种循环miRNA的相对表达：let-7b-5p、miR-19b-3p、miR-21-5p、miR-29a-3p、miR-126-3p、miR-130a-3p、miR-145-5p、miR-181b-5p、miR-221-3p、miR-222-3p和miR-223-3p。与未感染艾滋病毒的人相比，PWH的cfPWV显著更高（9.3对8.6米/秒，P = 0.019），而AIx@75、外周血压和主动脉血压在各组之间没有差异。与对照组相比，PWH中循环miRNA的相对表达在let-7b-5p（倍数变化：5.24，P = 0.027）、miR-21-5p（倍数变化：3.41，P < 0.001）、miR-126-3p（倍数变化：1.23，P = 0.019）和miR-222-3p（倍数变化：3.31，P = 0.002）方面显著更高。相反，PWH中循环miR-19b-3p的相对表达显著更低（倍数变化：0.61，P = 0.049）。在与艾滋病毒相关的因素中，最低点CD4+T细胞计数<200个细胞/立方毫米与循环let-7b-5p的相对表达独立相关（β = 0.344，P = 0.049），而当前的非核苷类逆转录酶抑制剂（NNRTI）治疗与循环miR-126-3p的相对表达独立相关（β = 0.389，P = 0.010）。未发现艾滋病毒感染持续时间或抗逆转录病毒治疗持续时间与血清miRNA表达之间存在关联。本研究强调，与未感染艾滋病毒的人相比，cfPWV较高的PWH具有独特的循环miRNA谱，这可能导致动脉僵硬度增加。
