Background: The infection that most often leads to cervical cancer is human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. A sign that the HPV infection might develop into cancer is mitochondrial dysfunction and DNA damage. Increased mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtCN) has been associated with cervical neoplasm as a compensatory mechanism for mitochondrial dysfunction. The aim of the study: To compare the variation of the mitochondrial DNA levels in the women's samples with high HPV load and the control group. Materials and methods: An investigation was carried out using a sample of 100 women. Half of the sample had been diagnosed with HPV. The HPV-DNA was analyzed using an Amplisens HPV HCR screen-titre-FRT PCR kit, while real-time PCR was employed to ascertain the relative mitochondrial DNA copy number content. Results: A statistical analysis found no correlation between mtCN and age for both sample cases and controls (r = - 0.11 and p = 0.44; r = 0.053, p = 0.71, respectively). A high level of infection was associated with a higher relative mitochondrial DNA content, in comparison with levels observed in the sample of healthy women (25.78 versus 18.13, respectively). Conclusion: This study significantly enhances the evidence that the mtCN is linked to an increased risk of high HPV load
Background: The infection that most often leads to cervical cancer is human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. A sign that the HPV infection might develop into cancer is mitochondrial dysfunction and DNA damage. Increased mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtCN) has been associated with cervical neoplasm as a compensatory mechanism for mitochondrial dysfunction. The aim of the study: To compare the variation of the mitochondrial DNA levels in the women's samples with high HPV load and the control group. Materials and methods: An investigation was carried out using a sample of 100 women. Half of the sample had been diagnosed with HPV. The HPV-DNA was analyzed using an Amplisens HPV HCR screen-titre-FRT PCR kit, while real-time PCR was employed to ascertain the relative mitochondrial DNA copy number content. Results: A statistical analysis found no correlation between mtCN and age for both sample cases and controls (r = - 0.11 and p = 0.44; r = 0.053, p = 0.71, respectively). A high level of infection was associated with a higher relative mitochondrial DNA content, in comparison with levels observed in the sample of healthy women (25.78 versus 18.13, respectively). Conclusion: This study significantly enhances the evidence that the mtCN is linked to an increased risk of high HPV load.