ISSN: 1859 - 2872
Association of plasma miR-122 and miR-34a-5p with HBV-related liver fibrosis
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Abstract
Objective: To investigate the association between expression plasma levels of miRNA-122 and miRNA-34a-5p with clinical and paraclinical characteristics, and to evaluate their diagnostic value in distinguishing early-moderate liver fibrosis (F0-F2) from advanced fibrosis-cirrhosis (F3-F4) in patients with chronic hepatitis B. Subject and method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 135 patients with chronic hepatitis B, including 70 cases with F0–F2 and 65 cases with F3-F4 as classified by FibroScan. The expression levels of miR-122 and miR-34a-5p were analyzed using RT-qPCR. Result: In the F3–F4 group, miR-34a-5p expression increased 6.3-fold, whereas miR-122 decreased 5.8-fold compared to the F0–F2 group (p<0.0001). A combined model incorporating (miR-34a-5p, miR-122, and platelet count) achieved an AUC=0.878, with a sensitivity of 92.2% and specificity of 71.4%, outperforming individual miRNAs, FIB-4, and APRI. Additionally, miR-34a-5p showed a negative correlation with platelet count, while miR-122 was positively correlated with HBV DNA load. Conclusion: The inverse dysregulation of miR-122 and miR-34a-5p in plasma reflects fibrosis progression and represents a promising biomarker for early diagnosis of HBV-related cirrhosis. The combined model may serve as an effective non-invasive method for staging liver fibrosis.
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References
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