title: Association of Circulating Serum miR-34a and miR-122 with Dyslipidemia among Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
abstract: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) covers a spectrum of diseases from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, with approximately 20% risk of progressing to fibrosis and cirrhosis. The aim of this study was to compare the relative expression levels of circulating miR-21, miR-34a, miR-122, miR-125b and miR-375 between healthy controls and NAFLD patients, and to assess the feasibility of microRNAs as potential biomarkers for NAFLD. A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate circulating serum miRNAs as potential diagnostic markers for NAFLD. Twenty-eight clinically diagnosed and histologically-confirmed NAFLD patients, as well as 36 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The relative expression of serum microRNAs were calculated using the comparative cycle threshold with spiked-in C. elegans miR-39 as exogenous internal control. Serum levels of miR-34a and miR-122 were significantly higher in NAFLD patients than in healthy controls (P = <0.0001). Positive correlations were observed between serum miR-34a with very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) and triglyceride levels. However, the expression levels of miR-34a and miR-122 did not correlate with the histological features of NAFLD. Interestingly, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that miR-34a and miR-122 are potential markers for discriminating NAFLD patients from healthy controls with an area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.781 and 0.858, respectively. Serum levels of miR-34a and miR-122 were found to be significantly higher among NAFLD patients, and were positively correlated with VLDL-C and triglyceride levels. Thus, circulating miR-34a and miR-122 can be used as potential biomarkers for discriminating NAFLD patients from healthy controls. Larger cohorts are required to validate the utility of miR-34a and miR-122 in monitoring liver injury.
authors.affiliation: Research and Biotechnology, St. Luke's Medical Center, 279 E. Rodriguez Sr. Blvd., 1112 Quezon City, Philippines.
authors.forename: Noel C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Salvoza
authors.affiliation: Research and Biotechnology, St. Luke's Medical Center, 279 E. Rodriguez Sr. Blvd., 1112 Quezon City, Philippines.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Klinzing
authors.affiliation: Liver Disease and Transplant Center, St. Luke's Medical Center, 279 E. Rodriguez Sr. Blvd., 1112 Quezon City, Philippines.
authors.forename: Juliet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gopez-Cervantes
authors.affiliation: Research and Biotechnology, St. Luke's Medical Center, 279 E. Rodriguez Sr. Blvd., 1112 Quezon City, Philippines.
authors.forename: Michael O
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6733-3916
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Baclig
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D015854:Up-Regulation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C531907:MIRN122 microRNA, human; C522425:MIRN34 microRNA, human; D035683:MicroRNAs