<p>miR-21: a promising biomarker for the early detection of colon cancer</p>

Abstract

Purpose The aim of this study was to compare the expression of miR-21 gene in stages II-IV of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue in patients with colon cancer and introduce miR-21 as a potential molecular marker for detection of colon cancer in the early stages. Introduction Currently, identification of key molecules involved in the pathogenesis of cancer is one of the areas under consideration. miRNAs, are small RNAs which have been identified in many cancers. In this study, we investigated the expression of miR-21 in three pathologic stages in patients with colon cancer in the north of Iran. Patients and methods A total of 40 FFPE samples were obtained from patients with stages II, III, and IV from hospitals in Mazandaran and Golestan provinces. After extraction of RNA, treatment with DNase I and cDNA synthesis was performed and miR-21 expression was assessed by qPCR. Then, the data were analyzed using statistical software R (3.4.3). Results The expression of miR-21 in stage II was significantly different from stage IV. However, no significant difference was observed between the other stages. In stage II, the level of miR-21 expression was higher in men than women. Moreover, in the second pathological stage, miR-21 expression was reduced in patients with adjacent lymphoid tissue engagement. In addition, the expression of miR-21 in grade I was significantly higher than grade II. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that miR-21 can be a diagnostic marker for early stages of colon cancer, especially in men. It can also be considered as a good candidate for targeted treatment of colon cancer in the early stages of the disease. Furthermore, for the first time, we suggested that miR-21 can be a good molecular marker for classification of the stages of colon cancer.

Exosome-Mediated miR-21 Was Involved in the Promotion of Structural and Functional Recovery Effect Produced by Electroacupuncture in Sciatic Nerve Injury

“…Plenty of studies have proven that miR-21 participates in the occurrence and development of tumors [ 79 , 80 ], cardiovascular [ 81 ] and lung diseases [ 82 , 83 ], glaucoma intraocular pressure [ 84 ], age-related skin wound healing [ 85 ], sepsis, and acute kidney injury [ 86 ]. Moreover, it is expected to be a potential marker for the diagnosis of diseases, such as colon cancer [ 87 ], liver cancer or hepatitis severity [ 88 ], colorectal cancer [ 89 ], and lung adenocarcinoma [ 90 ]. The expression of miR-21 was significantly elevated at 1, 4, 7, and 14 days after PNI and was able to regulate the gene expression of the sciatic nerve stump [ 91 ].…”

miR‑665 is downregulated in glioma and inhibits tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion by targeting high mobility group box 1

“…In recent years, growing evidence has demonstrated that miRNAs function as diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers in certain patients with cancer, such as colon cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma (31,32). In glioma, studies have indicated aberrantly expressed miRNAs are correlated with clinical progression and patient survival, such as miR-3653 (33), miR-362-3p (34) and miR-526b-3p (35).…”

<p>Aberrant Expression of miR-592 Is Associated with Prognosis and Progression of Renal Cell Carcinoma</p>

“…Increasing evidence has demonstrated that miRNAs are frequently aberrantly expressed in various cancers and are associated with tumor progression and survival of various cancers 19–21. For instance, the miR-629-3p expression is upregulated in human lung adenocarcinoma tissues and cell lines, and it promotes cell proliferation and predicts poor survival in lung adenocarcinoma 22.…”