Circulating Maternal MicroRNAs, Preterm Birth and HIV in South African Women
1
Non-communicable Diseases Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
2
Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
3
Department of Epidemiology, Emory University, Atlanta, United States
4
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A2256
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of neonatal mortality and is associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality in early-to-mid adulthood. PTB is also more common in women living with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Circulating maternal microRNAs (miRNAs) during pregnancy hold promise as biomarkers for PTB, but there is limited data on the impact of HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa where HIV infection rates among reproductive age women is comparatively high. This study aimed to identify miRNAs associated with PTB and assess the impact of HIV status and ART regimen in South African pregnant women.
METHODS:
This nested case-control study included 76 pregnant women, matched by age and body mass index (BMI), comprising 38 with PTB and 38 with term births. Participants included women living without (n=28) and women living with HIV receiving either dolutegravir (n=24) or efavirenz combination therapies (n=24). MiRNAs (n=179) were profiled in serum collected between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation using miRNA PCR array panels.
RESULTS:
MiR-320d, miR-29b-3p, miR-22-5p and miR-30e-5p were associated with PTB in women without HIV and those receiving efavirenz ART with receiver operating characteristic Area-Under-the-Curve (AUC) values ranging from 0.85 to 0.92. These miRNA were not associated with PTB in women receiving dolutegravir ART however, where only miR-154-5p was associated with PTB (AUC 0.86).
CONCLUSIONS:
Our findings highlight that HIV/ART may impact the use of miRNAs as biomarkers for PTB, offering valuable insights for biomarker discovery in populations with high HIV prevalence.
Preterm birth (PTB) is the leading cause of neonatal mortality and is associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality in early-to-mid adulthood. PTB is also more common in women living with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Circulating maternal microRNAs (miRNAs) during pregnancy hold promise as biomarkers for PTB, but there is limited data on the impact of HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa where HIV infection rates among reproductive age women is comparatively high. This study aimed to identify miRNAs associated with PTB and assess the impact of HIV status and ART regimen in South African pregnant women.
METHODS:
This nested case-control study included 76 pregnant women, matched by age and body mass index (BMI), comprising 38 with PTB and 38 with term births. Participants included women living without (n=28) and women living with HIV receiving either dolutegravir (n=24) or efavirenz combination therapies (n=24). MiRNAs (n=179) were profiled in serum collected between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation using miRNA PCR array panels.
RESULTS:
MiR-320d, miR-29b-3p, miR-22-5p and miR-30e-5p were associated with PTB in women without HIV and those receiving efavirenz ART with receiver operating characteristic Area-Under-the-Curve (AUC) values ranging from 0.85 to 0.92. These miRNA were not associated with PTB in women receiving dolutegravir ART however, where only miR-154-5p was associated with PTB (AUC 0.86).
CONCLUSIONS:
Our findings highlight that HIV/ART may impact the use of miRNAs as biomarkers for PTB, offering valuable insights for biomarker discovery in populations with high HIV prevalence.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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