Downregulation of miR-424 in placenta is associated with severe preeclampsia

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that altered miRNA expression in the placenta is associated with preeclampsia. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of miR-424 in placental samples of severe preeclampsia (sPE) and uncomplicated pregnancy patients. miRNA was isolated from placentas obtained from 30 sPE patients and 30 healthy women. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the expression of miR-424. The prediction of target genes of miR-424 was performed using miRGen database. The function of these target genes was analyzed further by DAVID and Gorilla software. The expression of miR-424 was significantly lower in patients with sPE than in healthy controls. Changed expression of miR-424 in the case of pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders might affect the Wnt signaling pathway. These factors have a strong correlation with the development of PE. Expression of miR-424 in placenta was lower in patients with sPE, suggesting its role in the pathology of sPE.