Association of miR-21-5p with routine biochemical markers and inflammatory cytokines in hemodialysis patients

Abstract

BackgroundAlthough the role of miR-21-5p in some kidney diseases is relatively documented, the relationship of miR-21-5p with markers of bone metabolism and inflammation in patients receiving hemodialysis (HD) remains unclear. Here, we aim to explore the relationship of miR-21-5p with routine biochemical parameters, mineral bone disorders, and inflammatory markers in HD patients. MethodsSerum miR-21-5p expressions from 60 HD patients and 20 healthy controls were analyzed with qPCR. Bone metabolism-related parameters such as receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL), osteocalcin, calcium, phosphorus, and parathormone; inflammation-related markers such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and C-reactive protein (CRP); and oxidative stress markers such as total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) were measured in serum samples of HD patients. ResultsWe showed for the first time that miR-21-5p expressions were increased in patients receiving HD. In addition, miR-21-5p expressions showed a significantly positive correlation with bone metabolism markers, i.e. RANKL, osteocalcin, phosphorus, and parathormone, and inflammation markers, i.e. TNF-α, IL-6, and CRP. We detected that areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for miR-21-5p, RANKL, osteocalcin, TNF-a, IL-6, and oxidative stress index in HD patients were 0.9317, 0.7742, 0.9038, 0.7319, 0.7063, and 0.7738, respectively. ConclusionElevated miR-21-5p expressions are associated with routine biochemical and inflammatory markers in HD patients, suggesting that miR-21-5p might have diagnostic and/or therapeutic importance in the treatment of chronic kidney diseases.