Serum miR-224, miR-760, miR-483-5p, miR-378 and miR-375 as potential novel biomarkers in rheumatoid arthritis

BACKGROUND Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease which affects various tissues and organs mainly joints. Serum microRNAs are considered a new class of non-coding RNA which plays a vital role in pathogenesis of RA. METHODS The current study was conducted on 80 RA patients and 80 healthy participants. Serum expression levels of miR-224, miR-760, miR-483-5p, miR-378 and miR-375 were evaluated via real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS Significant upregulation of miR-224, miR-760, miR-483-5p, miR-378 and miR-375 was reported in the present study with respect to the control group (P = .031, P = .017, P = .026, P = .036 and P = .05, respectively). Furthermore, significant positive correlation between the abovementioned microRNAs with DAS28 score (P < .001, each) was demonstrated. CONCLUSION Early detection of RA could be achieved through evaluation of serum expression of miR-224, miR-760, miR-483-5p, miR-378 and miR-375 which also may be used as targets for treatment of patients with RA.