Kaymaz Serdar, Aydın Demiray, Uğur Karasu, Çobankara Veli, Tan Seçil
Department of Rheumatology.
Department of Genetics.
Mediterr J Rheumatol. 2023 Sep 7;35(2):255-262. doi: 10.31138/mjr.030623.elc. eCollection 2024 Jun.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in a range of pathological and biological processes. Vascular involvement is an important complication associated with morbidity and mortality in Behçet's disease (BD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the expression levels of miR-195, miR-424, miR-10b, miR-103a-3p, and miR-542-3p in Turkish patients with BD, and their possible association with vascular involvement and clinical activity.
This cross-sectional study included 61 BD patients and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals. The patients were categorised into two groups based on the presence or absence of vascular involvement. Demographic data, disease duration, disease activity, and medical treatments were recorded. Disease activity was evaluated using the Behçet's Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF) and the Behçet's Syndrome Activity Scale (BSAS). The expression levels of miRNAs were measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).
The comparison of the clinical features of BD patients with and without vascular involvement revealed no significant difference. However, the expression levels of miR-195, miR-424, miR-10b, miR-103a-3p, and miR-542-3p were significantly higher in BD patients than in healthy controls (p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.010, p<0.01, p=0.039, respectively). Moreover, the expression level of miR-195 was significantly higher in vasculo-Behçet patients than in the other groups (p=0.0318). However, no significant association was found between the expression levels of miR-195 and clinical activity.
Our study results indicated elevated serum levels of miR-195 in BD patients, which may be associated with vascular involvement. Therefore, miR-195 could potentially serve as a biomarker for the diagnosis and monitoring of vasculo-Behçet's disease.
微小RNA（miRNA）参与一系列病理和生物学过程。血管受累是白塞病（BD）发病和死亡的重要并发症。在本研究中，我们旨在评估土耳其BD患者中miR-195、miR-424、miR-10b、miR-103a-3p和miR-542-3p的表达水平，以及它们与血管受累和临床活动的可能关联。
这项横断面研究纳入了61例BD患者和25例年龄及性别匹配的健康个体。根据是否存在血管受累将患者分为两组。记录人口统计学数据、病程、疾病活动度和治疗情况。使用白塞病当前活动表（BDCAF）和白塞综合征活动量表（BSAS）评估疾病活动度。使用实时定量聚合酶链反应（RT-qPCR）测量miRNA的表达水平。
有血管受累和无血管受累的BD患者临床特征比较无显著差异。然而，BD患者中miR-195、miR-424、miR-10b、miR-103a-3p和miR-542-3p的表达水平显著高于健康对照（分别为p<0.001、p<0.001、p=0.010、p<0.01、p=0.039）。此外，血管型白塞病患者中miR-195的表达水平显著高于其他组（p=0.0318）。然而，未发现miR-195表达水平与临床活动度之间存在显著关联。
我们的研究结果表明BD患者血清中miR-195水平升高，这可能与血管受累有关。因此，miR-195可能作为血管型白塞病诊断和监测的生物标志物。
