title: Correlation between microRNA-21 and expression of Th17 and Treg cells in microenvironment of rats with hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the correlation between miR-21 and Treg/Th17 ratio in the microenvironment of rats with hepatocellular carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diethylnitrosamine was used to build the hepatocellular carcinoma model of rats; the content of Treg cells and Th17 cells and the expression of miR-21 in the peripheral blood of rats with hepatocellular carcinoma were detected. The statistical analysis was performed on the correlation between miR-21 expression and Treg/Th17 ratio.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hepatocellular carcinoma model of rats was successfully constructed. The proportion of Th17 cells among all CD4(+)T cells in the peripheral blood of rats with hepatocellular carcinoma was 5.319%, which was higher than the control group; while the proportion of Treg cells was 9.472%, which was higher than the control group. Treg/Th17 ratio in the model group was 1.781, compared with 1.478 in the control group. The expression of miR-21 was increased in the peripheral blood of rats with hepatocellular carcinoma and it showed a positive correlation with the ratio of Treg/Th17.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a positive correlation between the expression level of miR-21 and the ratio of Treg/Th17.
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Therapy, Affiliated Tangshan Workers Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tangshan, Hebei, 063000, China.
authors.forename: Shao-Xin
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Therapy, Luanxian People's Hospital, Tangshan, Hebei, 063700, China.
authors.forename: Gui-Song
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Therapy, Affiliated Tangshan Workers Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tangshan, Hebei, 063000, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Xia
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Therapy, Affiliated Tangshan Workers Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tangshan, Hebei, 063000, China. Electronic address: jaymaomaocs@163.com.
authors.forename: Guang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Therapy, Affiliated Tangshan Workers Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tangshan, Hebei, 063000, China.
authors.forename: Zang-Tuo
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Interventional Therapy, Affiliated Tangshan Workers Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Tangshan, Hebei, 063000, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Tao
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: Correlation analysis; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Th17 cells; Treg cells; miR-21