The aim of this study was to identify circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) that could be used as biomarkers in patients at risk for or affected by AIDS-Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). Screening of 377 miRNAs was performed using low-density arrays in pooled plasma samples of 10 HIV/human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8)-infected asymptomatic and 10 AIDS-KS patients before and after successful combined antiretroviral therapy (cART). MiR-375 was identified as a potential marker of active KS, being the most down-regulated in AIDS-KS patients after cART and the most up-regulated in naïve AIDS-KS patients compared to naïve asymptomatic subjects. Validation on individual plasma samples confirmed that miR-375 levels were higher in AIDS-KS compared to asymptomatic patients, decreased after cART-induced remission in most AIDS-KS patients and increased in patients with active KS. In asymptomatic patients miR-375 was up-regulated after cART in both screening and validation. Statistical analyses revealed an association between miR-375 changes and CD4 cell counts, which could explain the discordant cases and the opposite trend between asymptomatic and AIDS-KS patients. These data suggest that circulating miR-375 might be a good indicator of active AIDS-KS. Moreover, changes in miR-375 levels may have a prognostic value in HIV/HHV8-infected patients undergoing treatment. Further large-scale validation is needed.
Keywords: HHV8; HIV; Kaposi’s sarcoma; biomarker; circulating miRNA; miR-375; microRNA.
© 2018 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.