Association between MicroRNAs (hsa-miR-92a-1* and hsa-miR-454) and Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis is a major health problem affecting young adults. It is an inflammatory demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease whose incidence and prevalence are increasing worldwide. It is a multifactorial disease influenced by both genetic and environmental factors resulting in an immune-mediated injury of the CNS. The diagnosis depends mainly on clinical picture, MRI findings and CSF oligoclonal bands. The field of circulating biological markers showed a great potential in the clinical settings. It could be used as diagnostic, predictive, and prognostic markers and they would open doors to new ways of monitoring the progression of disease and response to treatment. Circulating microRNAs are very stable in plasma and serum, this is the reason why many studies extensively assessed their potential as an ideal immune biomarker in MS and many other diseases. This study aimed at evaluating miRNAs; hsa-miR-454 and hsa-miR-92a-1* as diagnostic tools among MS Egyptian patients and correlating their association with disease severity in terms of EDSS. Thirty-one MS patients with 21 RRMS patients and 10 PMS patients fulfilling the McDonald criteria fo