Elghouneimy Mohamed A, Ramadan Marwa A, Farrag Enas A, Ibrahim Hanan F, Khirala Seham K, Seliem Nora, Kasim Sammar A, Moazen Eman M, Attia Asmaa A, Mohammed Faten I, Ghamry Aya A
Plastic Surgery, Nile Insurance Hospital, Cairo, EGY.
Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine for Girls, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, EGY.
Cureus. 2023 Nov 23;15(11):e49297. doi: 10.7759/cureus.49297. eCollection 2023 Nov.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory condition that impacts not only the musculoskeletal system but also various other systems in the body, including the cutaneous, ocular, respiratory, cardiovascular, and circulatory systems. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of naturally occurring and highly conserved transcripts that primarily function in the regulation of gene expression. They accomplish this by facilitating the degradation of messenger RNA (mRNA) or by repressing mRNA translation. miRNAs are well-known regulators of a variety of cellular processes. Therefore, we aimed to detect the impact of miR-155 rs767649 polymorphism on RA activity.
This case-control study included 66 Egyptian patients with RA who visited Al-Zhraa University Hospital, Internal Medicine Department, Cairo, Egypt, and 50 apparently healthy control subjects matched for age and sex. The participants were subjected to full clinical evaluation, including assessments of the disease activity score (DAS), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), liver and kidney function, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (anti-CCP), and miR-155 polymorphism using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
In the RA group, the majority (98.5%) were female, with a mean age of 43 years, while in the control group, 94% were female, with a mean age of 43.4 years. Comparison of laboratory parameters indicated significantly lower hemoglobin levels, higher ESR, and higher serum creatinine and anti-CCP levels in the RA group than in the control group. The RA group had a significantly higher frequency of TT genotypes and significantly lower frequencies of TA and TT genotypes than the control group. Considering the TT genotype and T allele as references, TA, AA, and TA/AA genotypes in the dominant model; AA in the recessive model; and A allele were significantly associated with protective effects against RA development (p<0.05, odds ratio<1).
rs767649, the functional variant of miR-155, plays an important role in susceptibility to the increased risk of RA, suggesting that miR-155 can be used as a therapeutic target for the treatment of Egyptian patients with RA.
类风湿关节炎（RA）是一种慢性炎症性疾病，不仅会影响肌肉骨骼系统，还会影响身体的其他各种系统，包括皮肤、眼睛、呼吸、心血管和循环系统。微小RNA（miRNA）是一类天然存在且高度保守的转录本，主要功能是调节基因表达。它们通过促进信使核糖核酸（mRNA）的降解或抑制mRNA翻译来实现这一功能。miRNA是多种细胞过程的知名调节因子。因此，我们旨在检测miR-155 rs767649多态性对RA活动的影响。
这项病例对照研究纳入了66名到埃及开罗扎赫拉大学医院内科就诊的埃及RA患者，以及50名年龄和性别相匹配的明显健康对照者。参与者接受了全面的临床评估，包括疾病活动评分（DAS）、红细胞沉降率（ESR）、肝肾功能、抗环瓜氨酸肽抗体（抗CCP）评估，以及使用实时聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测miR-155多态性。
RA组中大多数（98.5%）为女性，平均年龄43岁，而对照组中94%为女性，平均年龄43.4岁。实验室参数比较显示，RA组的血红蛋白水平显著低于对照组，ESR、血清肌酐和抗CCP水平显著高于对照组。RA组TT基因型的频率显著高于对照组，TA和AA基因型的频率显著低于对照组。以TT基因型和T等位基因为参照，显性模型中的TA型、AA型以及TA/AA基因型；隐性模型中的AA型；以及A等位基因与预防RA发生的保护作用显著相关（p<0.05，比值比<1）。
miR-155的功能变体rs767649在RA患病风险增加的易感性中起重要作用，这表明miR-155可作为治疗埃及RA患者的治疗靶点。
