Case Control Study
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World J Hepatol. Nov 27, 2014; 6(11): 818-824
Published online Nov 27, 2014. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v6.i11.818
Circulating microRNA, miR-122 and miR-221 signature in Egyptian patients with chronic hepatitis C related hepatocellular carcinoma
Hassan El-Garem, Ayman Ammer, Hany Shehab, Olfat Shaker, Mohammed Anwer, Wafaa El-Akel, Heba Omar
Hassan El-Garem, Ayman Ammer, Hany Shehab, Wafaa El-Akel, Heba Omar, Mohammed Anwar, Endemic Medicine and Hepatology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 12613, Egypt
Olfat Shaker, Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo 12613, Egypt
Author contributions: El-Garem H contributed to the study design, revision; Ammer A contributed to the study design; Shehab H contributed to the study design and drafting the manuscript; Shaker O contributed to the study design, biochemical analysis of samples; Anwer M contributed to the drafting manuscript and revision; El-Akel W contributed to the study design and statistical analysis; Omar H contributed to the study design, samples and data collection, manuscript drafting.
Correspondence to: Heba Omar, Msc, PhD, Endemic Medicine and Hepatology Department, Faculty of medicine, 16 Azam Street, Helwan, Cairo 12613, Egypt. hebaomar1202@hotmail.com
Telephone: +20-2-01007032146
Received: April 25, 2014
Revised: October 10, 2014
Accepted: October 23, 2014
Published online: November 27, 2014
Abstract

AIM: To explore the potential usefulness of serum miR-122 and miR-221 as non-invasive diagnostic markers of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS: This prospective study was conducted on 90 adult patients of both sex with HCV-related chronic liver disease and chronic hepatitis C related HCC. In addition to the 10 healthy control individuals, patients were stratified into; interferon-naïve chronic hepatitis C (CH) (n = 30), post-hepatitis C compensated cirrhosis (LC) (n = 30) and treatment-naïve HCC (n = 30). All patients and controls underwent full clinical assessment and laboratory investigations in addition to the evaluation of the level of serum miRNA expression by RT-PCR.

RESULTS: There was a significant fold change in serum miRNA expression in the different patient groups when compared to normal controls; miR-122 showed significant fold increasing in both CH and HCC and significant fold decrease in LC. On the other hand, miR-221 showed significant fold elevation in both CH and LC groups and significant fold decrease in HCC group (P = 0.01). Comparing fold changes in miRNAs in HCC group vs non HCC group (CH and Cirrhosis), there was non-significant fold elevation in miR-122 (P = 0.21) and significant fold decreasing in miR-221 in HCC vs non-HCC (P = 0.03). ROC curve analysis for miR-221 yielded 87% sensitivity and 40% specificity for the differentiation of HCC patients from non-HCC at a cutoff 1.82.

CONCLUSION: Serum miR-221 has a strong potential to serve as one of the novel non-invasive biomarkers of HCC.

Keywords: MiRNA, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Serum

Core tip: In the current study a signature of circulating miRNAs (miR-122 and miR-221) was evaluated. miR-221 was differentially expressed between patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and those without (chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis) with lower serum level of miR-221 in former group of patients in comparison to later one. miR-221 yielded 87% sensitivity and 40% specificity in differentiating between both groups at a cutoff 1.82 folds. The present study emphasizes that circulating miR-221 deserves further attention as a potential non-invasive biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma.