Identification of miR-30c-5p microRNA in Serum as a Candidate Biomarker to Diagnose Endometriosis

Abstract

The diagnosis of endometriosis by laparoscopy is delayed until advanced stages. In recent years, microRNAs have emerged as novel biomarkers for different diseases. These molecules are small non-coding RNA sequences involved in the regulation of gene expression and can be detected in peripheral blood. Our aim was to identify candidate serum microRNAs associated with endometriosis and their role as minimally invasive biomarkers. Serum samples were obtained from 159 women, of whom 77 were diagnosed with endometriosis by laparoscopy and 82 were healthy women. First, a preliminary study identified 29 differentially expressed microRNAs between the two study groups. Next, nine of the differentially expressed microRNAs in the preliminary analysis were evaluated in a new cohort of 67 women with endometriosis and 72 healthy women. Upon validation by quantitative real-time PCR technique, the circulating level of miR-30c-5p was significantly higher in the endometriosis group compared with the healthy women group. The area under the curve value of miR-30c-5p was 0.8437, demonstrating its diagnostic potential even when serum samples registered an acceptable limit of hemolysis. Dysregulation of this microRNA was associated with molecular pathways related to cancer and neuronal processes. We concluded that miR-30c-5p is a potential minimally invasive biomarker of endometriosis, with higher expression in the group of women with endometriosis diagnosed by laparoscopy.