MicroRNAs 181a and 125a are highly expressed in early diagnosed RRMS: a pilot case-control study

Abstract

Background: Recently microRNAs (miRs) have been proposed as possible disease biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) field. Among miRs, those secreted through microvesicles (MVs) may contribute to different disease phases. Methods: This is a case-control study performed at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Italy. Patients have not been yet exposed to disease modifying therapies (DMTs) and had received a confirmed diagnosis of relapsing remitting MS (RRMS). We analyzed the serum level of 6 MVs miRs by using Quantitative Real-Time PCR, comparing RRMS to HCs, with a 2:1 ratio. Subsequently, the differentially expressed miRNAs, were further tested with receiving operator curves (ROC). We aimed to explore possible role of MVs miRs as disease biomarker at the time of diagnosis.Results: A total of 12 patients were enroled. MiR-181a and miR-125a had higher levels in RRMS patients when compared to HCs (p<.01 and p<.05 respectively). The ROC curve indicated that both miR-181a and 125a could be considered as biomarkers with an area under the curve of 0.896 (p=.014; 95% CI: 0.72–1.00) and 0.785 (p=.046; 95% CI:0.59–1.00) respectively.Conclusions: Our study suggested MVs miR-181a and 125a as possible disease biomarkers in early diagnosed RRMS patients, not yet exposed to DMTs.