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MicroRNA Profiling in HIV-Infected South African Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

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Abstract

Background

Recently, we reported that the microRNAs (miRNAs) miR-20a-5p and—to a lesser extent—miR-222-3p hold potential as biomarkers for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative South African women.

Methods

In this preliminary study, we measured the expression of these miRNAs in HIV-positive women (GDM 15, non-GDM 52; median 26.0 weeks; range 16–30).

Results

Although the same trend of decreased expression of miR-20a-5p (1.5-fold decrease) and miR-222-3p (1.4-fold decrease) was observed in sera of women with and without GDM, these differences were not statistically significant. Stratification according to antiretroviral treatment (ART) confirmed decreased expression of miR-20a-5p and miR-222-3p in ART-naïve and ART-treated women with GDM, although again this was not statistically significant.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate that HIV infection modifies the expression of miR-20a-5p and miR-222-3p in women with GDM. Importantly, this study highlights the complexities of miRNA profiling and the need for GDM biomarker discovery in both HIV-infected and uninfected individuals, particularly in South Africa, where approximately 30% of pregnancies are complicated by HIV. Further studies to elucidate the mechanisms that underlie these miRNA differences are needed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the volunteers who participated in the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform (BRIP), South African Medical Research Council, Francie Van Zijl Drive, Tygerberg, Western Cape, 7505, South Africa

    Carmen Pheiffer & Stephanie Dias

  2. Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa

    Carmen Pheiffer

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Stephanie Dias & Sumaiya Adam

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Paul Rheeder

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  1. Carmen Pheiffer
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carmen Pheiffer.

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Conflict of interest

Carmen Pheiffer, Stephanie Dias, Paul Rheeder, and Sumaiya Adam have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this article.

Funding

This work was funded by the South African Medical Research Council (C. Pheiffer) and the Society for Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes in South Africa and the University of Pretoria (S. Adam).

Ethical approval and informed consent

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Pheiffer, C., Dias, S., Rheeder, P. et al. MicroRNA Profiling in HIV-Infected South African Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus. Mol Diagn Ther 23, 499–505 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40291-019-00404-2

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