Circulating miR-21 and miR-29a as Markers of Disease Severity and Etiology in Cholestatic Pediatric Liver Disease - PubMed (original) (raw)

Circulating miR-21 and miR-29a as Markers of Disease Severity and Etiology in Cholestatic Pediatric Liver Disease

Imeke Goldschmidt et al. J Clin Med. 2016.

Abstract

Circulating microRNAs have been investigated as markers of disease severity in a variety of conditions. We examined whether circulating miR-21 and miR-29a could serve as markers of hepatic fibrosis and disease etiology in children with various liver diseases. Circulating miR-21 and miR-29a were determined in 58 children (21 female, age 0.1-17.8 (median 9.8) years)) with chronic liver disease and compared to histological grading of hepatic fibrosis. 22 healthy children served as controls for circulating miRNAs. Levels of circulating miR-21 appeared to be age-dependent in healthy children. Children with biliary atresia had significantly higher levels of miR-21 compared both to healthy controls and to age-matched children with other cholestatic liver disease. Circulating miR-29a levels in biliary atresia children did not differ from healthy controls, but tended to be higher than in age-matched children with other cholestatic liver disease. Neither miR-21 nor miR-29a correlated well with hepatic fibrosis. Circulating miR-21 and miR-29a levels can potentially serve as non-invasive diagnostic markers to differentiate biliary atresia from other cholestatic disease in infancy. They do not appear suitable as non-invasive markers for the degree of hepatic fibrosis in an unselected cohort of children with various liver diseases. The discriminating effect regarding neonatal cholestasis should be followed up in a prospective longitudinal study.

Keywords: biliary atresia; hepatic fibrosis; microRNA; paediatrics.

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Circulating levels of miR-21 (A) and miR-29a (B) are compared between children with biliary atresia (BA), children with cholestatic disease other than biliary atresia (non-BA), and healthy controls (Con). ★ indicates p < 0.05. n.s.: not statistically significant.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Circulating levels of miR-21 (A) and miR-29a (B) are compared between children with biliary atresia (BA) and age-matched children with cholestatic disease other than biliary atresia (nBA-C). ★ indicates p < 0.05.

Figure 3

Figure 3

Circulating miR-21 (A) and miR-29a (B) are plotted against age in biliary atresia children. While these represent cross-sectional, not longitudinal data, there still appears to be a change in miRNA expression over time that potentially correlates with stage of disease.

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