Expression level of microRNA-574-5p and its association with inflammatory cytokines and disease severity in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

AbstractRheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized with aggressive arthritis, accompanied by extra articular and systemic manifestations. The pathogenesis of RA is still unclear. MicroRNA (miRNA) is single stranded, noncoding, small molecule RNA that is actively involved in inflammatory diseases and may play a role in RA. A prospective cohort study involving 66 patients with RA and 16 normal controls (NC) was conducted. All patients （49 females and 17 males）were divided into three groups （low disease activity 21/66, moderate disease activity 18/66, high disease activity 27/66）based on DAS28-ESR. The expression of miR-574-5p and the concentration of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 in serum of the patients and normal controls were detected. Compared with the NC, the serum levels of miR-574-5p, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly increased (P < 0.05). In addition, the fold of increase was correspondent to the level of disease activity. Moreover, the expression of miR-574-5p appeared to correlate to the concentration of individual cytokine. The expression of miR-574-5p in the serum of patients with RA was correlated with disease activity and proinflammatory cytokines, suggesting that it may be involved in the pathogenesis of RA.