Can parasite-derived microRNAs differentiate active and inactive cystic echinococcosis patients?


ÖRSTEN S., BAYSAL İ., YABANOĞLU ÇİFTÇİ S., Ciftci T., ÜNAL E., AKINCI D., ...More

PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH, vol.121, no.1, pp.191-196, 2022 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 121 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2022
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s00436-021-07382-7
  • Journal Name: PARASITOLOGY RESEARCH
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Veterinary Science Database
  • Page Numbers: pp.191-196
  • Keywords: Cystic Echinococcosis, Parasite-derived microRNA, Real-time PCR, LIVER
  • Hacettepe University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by the metacestode form of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato. Non-invasive imaging techniques, especially ultrasound, are primarily used for CE diagnosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules that act as post-transcriptional regulators in various biological processes. After identification of parasite-derived miRNAs, these miRNAs are considered to be potential biomarkers for diagnosis and follow-up. The focus of this research is to compare the expression profiles of certain parasite-derived miRNAs in CE patients with active and inactive cysts as well as healthy controls. Parasite-derived miRNAs, egr-let-7-5p, egr-miR-71a-5p, and egr-miR-9-5p, of inactive CE patients were found to be differentially expressed with 3.74-, 2.72-, and 20.78-fold change (p < 0.05), respectively, when compared with active CE patients. In this study, we evaluated for the first time the expression profile of three parasite-derived miRNAs in the serum of CE patients to determine their potential to distinguish between active and inactive CE. It was concluded that serum levels of parasite-derived miRNAs, egr-let-7-5p and egr-miR-9-5p, could be promising new potential biomarkers for stage-specific diagnosis of CE. Further studies are needed with larger sample set to validate discriminating potential of these miRNAs.