Circulatory miR-155 correlation with platelet and neutrophil recovery after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, a multivariate analysis

Abstract

The involvement of microRNAs in the regulation of hematopoietic stem cells paves the way for their use in the management of autologous HSC transplantation (AHSCT). We aimed to evaluate the predictive value of circulatory microRNAs in extracellular vesicles (EVs) and plasma in platelet and neutrophil engraftment. Circulatory miR-125b, mir-126, miR-150, and miR-155 expression was assessed in isolated EVs and plasma in samples collected from AHSCT candidates. Multivariate analysis, COX models, and ROC assessment were performed to evaluate the predictive values of these microRNAs in platelet and neutrophil engraftment. miR-155 expression following conditioning with other clinical factors such as chemotherapy courses after diagnosis was the most significant predictors of platelet/neutrophil engraftment. A CD34⁺ cell count ≥ 3.5 × 10⁶/kg combined with miR-155 could be used as an engraftment predictor; however, in cases where the CD34⁺ cell count was < 3.5 × 10⁶/kg, this parameter lost its predictive value for engraftment and could be replaced by miR-155. The correlation between miR-155 and platelet/neutrophil engraftment even with lower numbers of CD34⁺ cells suggests the importance of this microRNA in the prediction of AHSCT outcome. Moreover, miR-155 could be utilized in therapeutic approaches to provide a better outcome for patients undergoing AHSCT.

Keywords: Engraftment; Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; MicroRNAs; Neutrophils; Platelet; Prediction.