Cladribine and ocrelizumab induce differential miRNA profiles in peripheral blood mononucleated cells from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients

Front Immunol. 2023 Dec 13:14:1234869. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1234869. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive neurological disease characterized by early-stage neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and demyelination that involves a spectrum of heterogeneous clinical manifestations in terms of disease course and response to therapy. Even though several disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are available to prevent MS-related brain damage-acting on the peripheral immune system with an indirect effect on MS lesions-individualizing therapy according to disease characteristics and prognostic factors is still an unmet need. Given that deregulated miRNAs have been proposed as diagnostic tools in neurodegenerative/neuroinflammatory diseases such as MS, we aimed to explore miRNA profiles as potential classifiers of the relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients' prospects to gain a more effective DMT choice and achieve a preferential drug response.

Methods: A total of 25 adult patients with RRMS were enrolled in a cohort study, according to the latest McDonald criteria before (pre-cladribine, pre-CLA; pre-ocrelizumab, pre-OCRE, time T0) and after high-efficacy DMTs, time T1, 6 months post-CLA (n = 10, 7 F and 3 M, age 39.0 ± 7.5) or post-OCRE (n = 15, 10 F and 5 M, age 40.5 ± 10.4) treatment. A total of 15 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects (9 F and 6 M, age 36.3 ± 3.0) were also selected. By using Agilent microarrays, we analyzed miRNA profiles from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). miRNA-target networks were obtained by miRTargetLink, and Pearson's correlation served to estimate the association between miRNAs and outcome clinical features.

Results: First, the miRNA profiles of pre-CLA or pre-OCRE RRMS patients compared to healthy controls identified modulated miRNA patterns (40 and seven miRNAs, respectively). A direct comparison of the two pre-treatment groups at T0 and T1 revealed more pro-inflammatory patterns in the pre-CLA miRNA profiles. Moreover, both DMTs emerged as being capable of reverting some dysregulated miRNAs toward a protective phenotype. Both drug-dependent miRNA profiles and specific miRNAs, such as miR-199a-3p, miR-29b-3p, and miR-151a-3p, emerged as potentially involved in these drug-induced mechanisms. This enabled the selection of miRNAs correlated to clinical features and the related miRNA-mRNA network.

Discussion: These data support the hypothesis of specific deregulated miRNAs as putative biomarkers in RRMS patients' stratification and DMT drug response.

Keywords: DMT; PBMC; biomarker; cladribine; miRNA; multiple sclerosis; ocrelizumab.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cladribine
  • Cohort Studies
  • Humans
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear
  • MicroRNAs*
  • Middle Aged
  • Multiple Sclerosis* / drug therapy
  • Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting* / genetics

Substances

  • Cladribine
  • ocrelizumab
  • MicroRNAs

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Fondo Ordinario Enti (FOE D.M 865/2019) in the framework of a collaboration agreement between the Italian National Research Council and EBRI, by Regione Lazio, Public Notice “LIFE 2020”, BioproSM, Gruppi di Ricerca n. A0375-2020- 36677, and by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR), National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), project MNESYS (PE0000006)—a multiscale integrated approach to the study of the nervous system in health and disease (DN. 1553 11.10.2022). ACo is recipient of funding from the Italian Ministry of Health "Progetto di Ricerca Corrente 2023".