Author/Authors :
El-Guendy، Nadia Mohamed نويسنده Department of Cancer Biology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt , , Helwa، Reham نويسنده Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt , , El-Halawany، Medhat Salah نويسنده Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt , , Abdel Rahman Ali، Shimaa نويسنده Department of Cancer Biology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt , , Tantawy Aly، Marwa نويسنده Research Department, Children’s Cancer Hospital, Cairo, Egypt , , Hasan Alieldin، Nelly نويسنده Department of Biostatistics and Cancer Epidemiology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt , , Fouad، Shawky Abdel Hamid نويسنده Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt , , Saeid، Hany نويسنده Department of General Surgery, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt , , Abdel-Wahab، Abdel-Hady Ali نويسنده Department of Cancer Biology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt ,
Abstract :
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been repeatedly shown to play important roles in liver pathologies, including hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Egypt has the highest hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection rate worldwide, predominantly involving genotype-4. In this study, we attempted to characterize the miRNA profile of the poorly studied genotype 4 of HCV in chronically infected Egyptian patients to obtain a better understanding of the disease and its complications and help in the design of better management protocols. We analyzed the expression levels of a selected panel of 94 miRNAs in fresh liver biopsies collected from 50 Egyptian patients diagnosed with chronic HCV infection using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Non-parametric tests were used to analyze the expression level of each miRNA and association with the clinicopathological features of enrolled patients in this study. Our results revealed differential expression levels of the analyzed miRNAs compared to the normal controls. Twenty-seven miRNAs (including miR-105, miR-147, miR-149-3p, and miR-196b) showed up-regulation, while 17 miRNAs (including miR-21, miR-122, miR-199a-3p, and miR-223) showed down-regulation. An inverse correlation was observed between levels of miR-95, miR-130a, and miR-142-5p with the blood albumin level. Increased expression levels of seven miRNAs (miR-29c, miR-30c, miR-126, miR-145, miR-199a, miR-199a-3p, and miR-222) were observed with severe chronic hepatic inflammation. Several deregulated miRNAs found in this study have been previously linked to chronic liver inflammation and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. The identified expression profiles of some examined miRNAs might offer important points to consider for the treatment of naive patients and the management of chronically infected HCV patients in Egypt and around the world.
