The effect of HIV and HPV coinfection on cervical COX-2 expression and systemic prostaglandin E2 levels

Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection causes chronic inflammation. COX-2-derived prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) has been linked to both inflammation and carcinogenesis. We hypothesized that HIV-1 could induce COX-2 in cervical tissue and increase systemic PGE(2) levels and that these alterations could play a role in AIDS-related cervical cancer. Levels of cervical COX-2 mRNA and urinary PGE-M, a biomarker of systemic PGE(2) levels, were determined in 17 HIV-negative women with a negative cervical human papilloma virus (HPV) test, 18 HIV-infected women with a negative HPV test, and 13 HIV-infected women with cervical HPV and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions on cytology. Cervical COX-2 levels were significantly associated with HIV and HPV status (P = 0.006 and 0.002, respectively). Median levels of urinary PGE-M were increased in HIV-infected compared with uninfected women (11.2 vs. 6.8 ng/mg creatinine, P = 0.02). Among HIV-infected women, urinary PGE-M levels were positively correlated with plasma HIV-1 RNA levels (P = 0.003). Finally, levels of cervical COX-2 correlated with urinary PGE-M levels (P = 0.005). This study shows that HIV-1 infection is associated with increased cervical COX-2 and elevated systemic PGE(2) levels. Drugs that inhibit the synthesis of PGE(2) may prove useful in reducing the risk of cervical cancer or systemic inflammation in HIV-infected women.

Figure 1

Box-plot of the log COX-2 mRNA levels in cervical cells, stratified by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human papillomavirus (HPV) status.

Figure 2

Box-plot of urine PGE-M levels in ng/mg in HIV-positive and negative subjects.

Figure 3

Correlation between log urinary PGE-M levels and log plasma HIV-1 RNA levels in HIV infected women. We used natural logarithm, so that log(630,000 copies HIV-1 RNA) =13.35.

Figure 4

Correlation between log urinary PGE-M levels and log cervical COX-2 mRNA levels.