MiRNA expression profile in serum of osteoarthritis patients

Abstract

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis that affects millions of people worldwide. Despite advances in medicine, OA still remains incurable. Scientists are still seeking candidates for biomarker-based risk stratification and the early detection of disease. Measurement of miRNAs in the serum may become a powerful tool in the development of diagnostic biomarker. Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the expression profiles of 20 miRNAs in the serum of patients with OA. Methods: We used RT-qPCR method to measure the expression profile of selected miRNAs. Results: Six miRNAs showed differential expression between OA and normal serum samples. miR-146a-5p and miR-98-5p were significantly upregulated (P < 0.05), while miR-222-3p, miR-22-3p, miR-27a-3p and miR-93-5p were downregulated (P < 0.05) compared to the control group. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that shows that expression of these six miRNAs is different between serum OA samples and 13 healthy controls. However, we did not find any statistically significant relationship between the miRNAs expression and clinical characteristics. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that miRNAs can be used as potential biomarkers for OA, but further research is needed to assess the usefulness of serum miRNAs in miRNA-based prognostic and therapeutic approaches.