Huang Jingjing, Wang Xuyi
The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University (Hangzhou Second People's Hospital), Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310000, China.
Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, China.
BMC Psychiatry. 2025 Mar 7;25(1):210. doi: 10.1186/s12888-025-06659-w.
The development of schizophrenia is related to a combination of genetic and epigenomic factors. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in epigenetic processes and are relevant to the onset and progression of schizophrenia. They can regulate target genes during the growth and development of neurons and can be affected by genetic and environmental factors associated with schizophrenia. Although prior studies have found abnormal miRNA expression in schizophrenia, few studies have examined the miRNA level in first-episode schizophrenia (FES). The present study aimed to examine the expression of lymphocyte microRNA (miR-107, miR-181a, miR-181b, miR-223, miR-219, miR-137, miR-125b) in patients with first-episode schizophrenia who had never been treated.
We investigated the expression of miRNAs using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technology. The severity of clinical symptoms was assessed using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The prognostic value of biomarkers was analyzed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the predictive value of these biomarkers was also compared. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relative risk related to microRNA alteration in schizophrenia. Logistic regression analyses were then performed to identify the most significant and sensitive miRNA biomarkers.
Compared with the control group, the patient group exhibited significantly higher levels of expression for six miRNAs (miR-181a, miR-137, miR-223, miR-107, miR-181b, and miR-125b) (P < 0.05). The ROCs indicated that miR-223 exhibited the highest diagnostic value, with an area under the curve being 0.916.
The present study provided some insights into the alteration of miRNA expression, which might improve our understanding of the complex global changes in gene expression in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. This study identified six miRNAs (miR-223, miR-181a, miR-181b, miR-125b, miR-219, and miR-107) that might facilitate the diagnosis of schizophrenia.
精神分裂症的发展与遗传和表观基因组因素的组合有关。微小RNA（miRNA）在表观遗传过程中起关键作用，并且与精神分裂症的发病和进展相关。它们可以在神经元的生长和发育过程中调节靶基因，并且可能受到与精神分裂症相关的遗传和环境因素的影响。尽管先前的研究已经发现精神分裂症中miRNA表达异常，但很少有研究检测首发精神分裂症（FES）中的miRNA水平。本研究旨在检测从未接受过治疗的首发精神分裂症患者淋巴细胞微小RNA（miR-107、miR-181a、miR-181b、miR-223、miR-219、miR-137、miR-125b）的表达。
我们使用实时聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）技术研究miRNA的表达。使用阳性和阴性症状量表（PANSS）评估临床症状的严重程度。使用受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分析生物标志物的预后价值，并比较这些生物标志物的预测价值。使用逻辑回归分析评估精神分裂症中与微小RNA改变相关的相对风险。然后进行逻辑回归分析以确定最显著和敏感的miRNA生物标志物。
与对照组相比，患者组中六种miRNA（miR-181a、miR-137、miR-223、miR-107、miR-181b和miR-125b）的表达水平显著更高（P <0.05）。ROC曲线表明，miR-223具有最高的诊断价值，曲线下面积为0.916。
本研究为miRNA表达的改变提供了一些见解，这可能会增进我们对精神分裂症病理生理学中基因表达复杂整体变化的理解。本研究确定了六种可能有助于精神分裂症诊断的miRNA（miR-223、miR-181a、miR-181b、miR-125b、miR-219和miR-107）。
