Serum microRNA‐122 levels in different groups of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

Abstract

miR-122 is a liver-specific microRNA, which also circulates in the blood. The levels of miR-122 in serum and plasma correlate with hepatic necroinflammation in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Here, we investigated whether miR-122 levels correlate with surrogate markers for viral replication and translation. Furthermore, we examined whether miR-122 levels differ in the different groups of HBV-infected patients and whether miR-122 levels may be useful to identify patients with higher or lower risk for liver disease progression. Therefore, RNA was extracted from sera of therapy-naïve patients with HBV infection (n = 89) and from healthy volunteers (n = 19). The concentration of miR-122 was assessed by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR. HBs antigen and HBV DNA levels were quantified as surrogate parameters for HBV replication and translation. Liver biopsies were examined according to the histological activity index and the degree of fibrosis was assessed. We found that the miR-122 serum concentration correlated with the level of ALT, HBV DNA and HBs antigen (r = 0.259, P < 0.05; r = 0.225, P < 0.05; r = 0.508, P < 0.001, respectively). The miR-122 serum levels discriminated the different patient groups infected with HBV from healthy subjects (P < 0.001), and inactive carrier patients with high (>3500 IU/mL) or low (<3500 IU/mL) levels of HBs antigen could be differentiated by the miR-122 serum concentration (P < 0.05). As serum miR-122 levels strongly correlated with HBs antigen, it might be an indicator for viral translation. Furthermore, serum miR-122 levels discriminated HBV carrier patients with high or low risk for disease progression and may, thus, be an additional marker for risk stratification.

Expression and clinical significance of miR-122 and miR-29 in hepatitis B virus-related liver disease

“…A previous study found that the overexpression of miR-29 in the stellate cells in mice reduced collagen fiber levels, suggesting that miR-29 also affects the function of hepatic stellate cells and is involved in the regulation of liver fibrosis (Roderburg et al, 2011). Waidmann et al (2012) showed that the levels of miRNA-122 expression during chronic HBV infection were positively correlated with serum ALT, HBV DNA, and HBsAg expres-sion levels, and can distinguish between high and low risks of disease progression in patients. In the present research, no correlation was found between the expressions of miR-122 and ALT in the serum of patients with CHB.…”

MicroRNAs activate natural killer cells through Toll-like receptor signaling

“…15 In patients with chronic hepatitis or hepatocellular carcinoma, levels of circulating miR-122 were demonstrated to be higher in comparison with levels in healthy donors. 16,17 Some miRNAs are also found to be downregulated in cancer patients. 18 However, the biological functions of the circulating miRNAs remain largely unknown in both normal and disease states.…”

MicroRNAs in Liver Disease: Bench to Bedside

“…40,44,45 Serum/plasma levels of miR-122 correlate with hepatic necro-inflammation, liver damage, cell death and increased aminotransferase levels in acute and chronic liver diseases. 44,[46][47][48][49] Interestingly, hepatic and circulating miR-122 levels do not correlate in NAFLD 14,39,[50][51][52][53][54][55] or viral hepatitis 41,47,49,56 although both have been statistically associated with various measures of disease severity in these studies. Together these studies show that miR-122 may play a role in most liver diseases.…”