Regulatory roles of miRNAs in development and progression of Hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the major cancers worldwide. It is most commonly caused by different factors, such as HBV, HCV infection, and alcohol consumption are most common. HCV infection causes CHC, fibrosis, and cirrhosis, which lead to HCC development. It is proven that miRNAs play an important role in the development of different types of cancer, including HCC.

METHODS

In this study, we performed data mining and bioinformatics analysis to investigate the roles of miR-1297, miR-2682-5p, miR-3186-5p, and miR-4753 in various types of malignancies, with a specific focus on HCC. Moreover, their expression levels, along with biomarkers (AFP and SOX4), were checked in four study groups (G1 = healthy controls, G2 = HCV patients, G3 = HCV-induced HCC patients, G4 = HCC patients) by RT-PCR.

RESULTS

Expression analysis revealed that miR-1297, miR-2682-5p, miR-3186-5p, and miR-4753 were significantly downregulated, whereas AFP and SOX4 were significantly upregulated in G3 group compared with G1 group. The miR-2682-5p (p = 0.0412) and miR-4753 (p = 0.0383) showed a significant negative correlation with AFP. ROC analysis revealed that miR-1297, miR-2682-5p, miR-3186-5p, and miR-4753 have significant diagnostic potential for HCC.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicate that miR-1297, miR-2682-5p, miR-3186-5p, and miR-4753 may serve as promising biomarkers for HCC.