Circulating miRNA-16 in inflammatory bowel disease and some clinical correlations – a cohort study in Bulgarian patients

A. Atanassova, A. Georgieva

Clinic of Gastroenterology, “St. Marina” University Hospital of Varna, Varna, Bulgaria. avgustina_dobreva@yahoo.com

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• Gastroenterology

OBJECTIVE: The pathogenesis of the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes chronic inflammation and altered immune reactions. There are several publications, reporting that micro ribonucleic acids (miRNAs) may serve as a diagnostic biomarker with a potential to assess inflammation severity and treatment response1,2 in IBD patients. The objective of the study is to assess and correlate the serum expression of circulating miR-16 in IBD patients with some clinical parameters, such as extent, activity and severity of the disease.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: 70 IBD patients [35 with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 35 with Crohn’s disease (CD)] were included in the study. Serum miR-16 expression in both IBD diseases was assessed using reverse transcription quantitative real time PCR (RT-qPCR). Circulating miR-16 levels were also correlated with disease extent, activity and severity indices [Crohn’s Disease Activity Index (CDAI), Montreal classification, Partial Mayo score]. Serum expression of miR-16 in the 70 patients was also compared to miR-16 serum levels in 30 healthy control subjects.

RESULTS: The patients’ group showed mean serum miR-16 expression of 3.07 for CD, 1.97 for UC and 1.61 for the control group of healthy subjects with a significant difference in the expression between groups. There is a significant correlation between increased serum expression of miR-16 and disease activity, extent and severity.

CONCLUSIONS: The increased miR-16 serum expression correlates with disease activity, intestinal localization of CD, stenotic and penetrating phenotype. MiR-16 could serve as a potential biomarker to assess inflammation.

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