Evaluation of miRNA Expression in Pediatric Cirrhosis Caused by BA and PFIC

TL;DR

This study explores miRNA expression in pediatric cirrhosis caused by biliary atresia and PFIC to identify potential therapeutic and diagnostic markers.

Contribution

The study identifies distinct miRNA expression patterns in two pediatric liver diseases, linking them to key signaling pathways.

Findings

BA patients showed higher levels of miR-34, miR-155, miR-199, miR-200b, and miR-222 compared to PFIC patients.

miR-223 was significantly higher in PFIC patients compared to BA patients.

miRNA expression was linked to PI3K/Akt and TGF-β signaling pathways in pediatric liver cirrhosis.

Abstract

Liver cirrhosis is one of the most common causes of death for pediatric patients with cholestasis. Because microRNA (miRNA) plays a part in the pathogenesis of the disease, comparing the changes in miRNA expression in cholestatic patients with liver cirrhosis could be helpful for therapeutic or prognostic purposes. miRNA levels in cirrhotic pediatric patients with progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC) and biliary atresia (BA) were studied in this research to comprehend the molecular distinctions and the significance of miRNA regulation in fibrosis and liver cirrhosis. Blood samples were collected from 43 PFIC patients and 84 BA patients, all of whom were confirmed to have liver cirrhosis. The in‐house SYBR Green RT‐qPCR techniques were established to assess the variations in the expressions of 12 miRNAs. Utilizing bioinformatics tools, the gene targets of the studied miRNAs were examined. Patients′ expression of 12 miRNAs was higher than that of the healthy group. However, there was a notable distinction between the miRNAs in PFIC and BA. The levels of miR‐34, miR‐155, miR‐199, miR‐200b, and miR‐222 were significantly higher in BA than in PFIC. PFIC showed a significantly higher level of miR‐223 than BA. The predictive importance of distinct miRNAs in both diseases was revealed by the AUC values. In BA, miR‐222 was associated with both liver transplantation and the PELD score. Death was correlated with miR‐21, miR‐155, miR‐199, and miR‐200 in BA and miR‐34 in PFIC. The analysis showed the significance of the connection between miRNA expression and PI3K/Akt and TGF‐β signaling in pediatric liver cirrhosis. Future investigations can evaluate the significance of the studied miRNAs as novel therapeutic targets and diagnostic options.

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