title: Identification of miR-194-5p as a potential biomarker for postmenopausal osteoporosis.
abstract: The incidence of osteoporosis is high in postmenopausal women due to altered estrogen levels and continuous calcium loss that occurs with aging. Recent studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the development of osteoporosis. These miRNAs may be used as potential biomarkers to identify women at a high risk for developing the disease. In this study, whole blood samples were collected from 48 postmenopausal Chinese women with osteopenia or osteoporosis and pooled into six groups according to individual T-scores. A miRNA microarray analysis was performed on pooled blood samples to identify potential miRNA biomarkers for postmenopausal osteoporosis. Five miRNAs (miR-130b-3p, -151a-3p, -151b, -194-5p, and -590-5p) were identified in the microarray analysis. These dysregulated miRNAs were subjected to a pathway analysis investigating whether they were involved in regulating osteoporosis-related pathways. Among them, only miR-194-5p was enriched in multiple osteoporosis-related pathways. Enhanced miR-194-5p expression in women with osteoporosis was confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. For external validation, a significant correlation between the expression of miR-194-5p and T-scores was found in an independent patient collection comprised of 24 postmenopausal women with normal bone mineral density, 30 postmenopausal women with osteopenia, and 32 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (p < 0.05). Taken together, the present findings suggest that miR-194-5p may be a viable miRNA biomarker for postmenopausal osteoporosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Dapeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Nanan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Qiujun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Jingxue
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Wenliang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Lihong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiang
keywords: Biomarker; MicroRNA; Postmenopausal osteoporosis; miR-194