Circulating microRNAs (miR-21, miR-223, miR-885-5p) along the clinical spectrum of HCV-related chronic liver disease in Egyptian patients

Mona Zaky Nasser; Naglaa Ali Zayed; Ahmed Mahmoud Mohamed; Dina Attia; Gamal Esmat; Ahmed Khairy

doi:10.1016/j.ajg.2019.11.003

Circulating microRNAs (miR-21, miR-223, miR-885-5p) along the clinical spectrum of HCV-related chronic liver disease in Egyptian patients

Arab J Gastroenterol. 2019 Dec;20(4):198-204. doi: 10.1016/j.ajg.2019.11.003. Epub 2019 Dec 2.

Authors

Mona Zaky Nasser¹, Naglaa Ali Zayed², Ahmed Mahmoud Mohamed³, Dina Attia⁴, Gamal Esmat², Ahmed Khairy⁵

Affiliations

¹ Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
² Endemic Medicine and Hepatology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
³ Hepatology and Endoscopy Department, Fayoum General Hospital, Cairo, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endemic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
⁵ Endemic Medicine and Hepatology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. Electronic address: amkhairy90@hotmail.com.

PMID: 31806407
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajg.2019.11.003

Abstract

Background and study aims: MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small single stranded RNAs, function in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression and incorporated in pathogenesis of HCV related chronic liver disease. This study was designed to evaluate the significance of serum miR-21, miR-223, and miR-885-5p as biomarkers in various clinicopathological stages of HCV related chronic liver disease.

Patients and methods: Serum miR-21, miR-223, and miR-885-5p were quantified by quantitative RT PCR in 60 patients with HCV-related liver disease (presumably genotype 4), in addition to 25 healthy controls. HCV patients were classified into: chronic non-cirrhotic HCV (n = 15), HCV related liver cirrhosis (n = 15), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (n = 30).

Results: Serum levels of miR-885-5p in cirrhotic patients ± HCC (n = 45) were significantly higher than the non-cirrhotic patients (n = 15); p = 0.007 and healthy control; p = 0.001. However, no such significance was detected between HCC and non-HCC HCV patients; p = 0.12. Serum miRNA-885-5p was able to discriminate cirrhosis ± HCC from healthy controls using ROC analysis; AUC 0.85, 87% sensitivity and 80% specificity. On the other hand, HCC patients had significantly higher serum miR-2 1evels than non-HCC patients (non-cirrhotic and cirrhotic groups, n = 30); p = 0.048 and the control group; p = 0.002. ROC could differentiate HCC from control group; AUC 0.89, 80% sensitivity, 80% specificity. Both serum bilirubin and albumin showed significant weak correlation with miRNA-885-5p (r = 0.42, p = 0.001) and (r = -0.27, p = 0.04), respectively but no such correlation was observed with serum miRNA-21. In contrast, miRNA-223 showed no significant difference across the studied groups.

Conclusion: Along the spectrum of HCV-related chronic liver disease, miR-885-5p could be a potential marker for advanced liver damage while miR-21 could be a helpful diagnostic marker for HCC.

Keywords: Biomarker; Egypt; HCC; HCV; MiRNA.

MeSH terms

Adult
Biomarkers / blood
Case-Control Studies
Egypt
Female
Hepatitis C, Chronic / blood
Hepatitis C, Chronic / diagnosis*
Hepatitis C, Chronic / pathology
Humans
Liver Cirrhosis / blood
Liver Cirrhosis / pathology
Liver Cirrhosis / virology
Male
MicroRNAs / blood*
Middle Aged
Sensitivity and Specificity
Severity of Illness Index

Substances

Biomarkers
MicroRNAs