MicroRNAs Associated with Disability Progression and Clinical Activity in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Treated with Glatiramer Acetate

• Published in: Biomedicines Vol. 11; no. 10; p. 2760
• Main Authors: Casanova, Ignacio, Domínguez-Mozo, María I, De Torres, Laura, Aladro-Benito, Yolanda, García-Martínez, Ángel, Gómez, Patricia, Abellán, Sara, De Antonio, Esther, Álvarez-Lafuente, Roberto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.10.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Acetates; Biomarkers; Care and treatment; Clinical medicine; Communication; Copolymer 1; Development and progression; Glatiramer acetate; Health aspects; Magnetic resonance imaging; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; MicroRNA; MicroRNAs; miRNA; Multiple sclerosis; no evidence of disease Activity-3; Pathophysiology; Patients; Statistical significance; Variables; Germany; Spain; United States > US
• ISSN: 2227-9059; 2227-9059
• DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11102760

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are promising biomarkers in multiple sclerosis (MS). This study aims to investigate the association between a preselected list of miRNAs in serum with therapeutic response to Glatiramer Acetate (GA) and with the clinical evolution of a cohort of relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) patients. We conducted a longitudinal study for 5 years, with cut-off points at 2 and 5 years, including 26 RRMS patients treated with GA for at least 6 months. A total of 6 miRNAs from a previous study (miR-9.5p, miR-126.3p, mir-138.5p, miR-146a.5p, miR-200c.3p, and miR-223.3p) were selected for this analysis. Clinical relapse, MRI activity, confirmed disability progression (CDP), alone or in combination (No Evidence of Disease Activity-3) (NEDA-3), and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), were studied. After multivariate regression analysis, miR-9.5p was associated with EDSS progression at 2 years (β = 0.23; 95% CI: 0.04–0.46; p = 0.047). Besides this, mean miR-138.5p values were lower in those patients with NEDA-3 at 2 years (p = 0.033), and miR-146a.5p and miR-126.3p were higher in patients with CDP progression at 2 years (p = 0.044 and p = 0.05 respectively. These results reinforce the use of microRNAs as potential biomarkers in multiple sclerosis. We will need more studies to corroborate these data and to better understand the role of microRNAs in the pathophysiology of this disease.