a Biology Department , American University in Cairo , Cairo , Egypt.
b Immunology Department , Theodor Bilharz Research Institute , Giza , Egypt.
Cancer Biol Ther. 2018 May 4;19(5):400-406. doi: 10.1080/15384047.2018.1423922. Epub 2018 Feb 16.
Due to the absence of reliable and accurate biomarkers for the early detection of liver malignancy, circulating microRNAs have recently emerged as great candidates for prompt cancer identification. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential of liver-specific circulating microRNAs as an accurate non-invasive diagnostic tool for early diagnosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
A total of 165 patients were enrolled in this study and categorized into four main groups: 42 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) without cirrhosis, 45 CHC with cirrhosis (LC), 38 HCC with HCV patients, and 40 healthy controls. The expression profiles of seven miRNAs (miR-16, miR-34a, miR-125a, miR-139, miR-145, miR-199a, and miR-221) were analyzed using real-time PCR.
Serum levels of miRNA-125a, miRNA-139, miRNA-145, and miRNA199a were significantly lower (p < 0.01) in HCC than in both CHC and LC groups. On the other hand, no significant difference was shown in the expression of miR-16, miR-34a, and miR-221 between the CHC, LC, and HCC groups. MiR-16, miR-34a, and miR-221 were significantly elevated in the HCC group compared to the control group. MiR-34a showed the highest specificity and sensitivity.
The results indicated that the measurement of serum levels of miR-125a, miR-139, miR-145, and miR-199a can help to differentiate HCC from CHC and LC. Also, miR-16, miR-34a, and miR-221 serum levels would have a prognostic value. MiR-34a had the highest specificity and sensitivity, indicating that it might serve as a novel and potential non-invasive biomarker for HCV-induced HCC.
由于缺乏可靠和准确的生物标志物来早期检测肝脏恶性肿瘤，循环 microRNA 最近成为快速识别癌症的重要候选者。因此，本研究旨在探讨肝特异性循环 microRNA 作为一种准确的非侵入性诊断工具，用于早期诊断丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）诱导的肝细胞癌（HCC）的潜力。
本研究共纳入 165 例患者，分为四个主要组：42 例慢性丙型肝炎（CHC）无肝硬化、45 例 CHC 肝硬化（LC）、38 例 HCC 合并 HCV 患者和 40 例健康对照组。采用实时 PCR 分析 7 种 miRNA（miR-16、miR-34a、miR-125a、miR-139、miR-145、miR-199a 和 miR-221）的表达谱。
与 CHC 和 LC 组相比，HCC 组血清 miRNA-125a、miR-139、miR-145 和 miRNA199a 水平显著降低（p < 0.01）。另一方面，CHC、LC 和 HCC 组之间 miR-16、miR-34a 和 miR-221 的表达无显著差异。与对照组相比，HCC 组 miR-16、miR-34a 和 miR-221 显著升高。miR-34a 显示出最高的特异性和敏感性。
研究结果表明，测量血清 miR-125a、miR-139、miR-145 和 miR-199a 的水平有助于区分 HCC 与 CHC 和 LC。此外，miR-16、miR-34a 和 miR-221 的血清水平具有预后价值。miR-34a 具有最高的特异性和敏感性，表明其可能作为一种新型潜在的非侵入性生物标志物用于 HCV 诱导的 HCC。
