Circulating MicroRNA-146a as aBiomarker Related to Oxidative Stress inThalassemia Patients

Abstract

Objective: To examine the miRNA-146a expression in thalassemia patients with chronic anemia and its relationship to oxidative stress in these individuals.

Study Design: Case-control study

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Diwaniyah Women and Children Teaching Hospital and the University of Al-Diwaniyah Al- Qadisiyah, College of Sciences, Iraq from October 2022 to February 2023.

Methods: A total of 80 thalassemia patients and 40 healthy controls, measuring serum ferritin levels with the Cobas e411 analyzer and interleukin-6 using sandwich immunodetection. It also assessed advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs) colorimetrically, along with catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Furthermore, serum miRNA-146a expression was analyzed through quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Results: When comparing patients to controls, serum ferritin levels increased considerably (P<0.05), and patient groups had significantly higher activity levels of SOD, CAT, AOPP, and MAD. Patients also had higher levels of the gene miRNA-146a (p< 0.05).

Conclusion: There is a reciprocal relationship between increasing oxidative stress and the expression of the miRNA-146a gene, contributing to disease onset and enhancing antioxidant enzyme effectiveness. In thalassemia,
the pathophysiology of oxidative stress drives the expression of miRNA-146a.