AUTHOR=Wu Li , Xu Qian , Zhou Mengxi , Chen Yajing , Jiang Chunyan , Jiang Yuhan , Lin Yin , He Qing , Zhao Lei , Dong Yourong , Liu Jianren , Chen Wei 

TITLE=Plasma miR-153 and miR-223 Levels as Potential Biomarkers in Parkinson’s Disease

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neuroscience

VOLUME=16

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2022.865139

DOI=10.3389/fnins.2022.865139

ISSN=1662-453X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Small molecule RNAs (miRNAs) could induce downregulation of α-synuclein (SNCA) expression by binding the 3’ untranslated region of SNCA, thus playing an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Recent studies suggest that SNCA-related miRNAs in saliva are promising PD biomarkers. Research on those miRNAs in plasma is rare in patients with PD.</p></sec><sec><title>Objective</title><p>To detect the plasma expression levels of three SNCA related miRNAs (miR-7, miR-153, and miR-223) in PD, and to explore their diagnostic value and associations with clinical phenotype.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>MiR-7, miR-153, and miR-223 levels were detected in the plasma of 75 PD patients and 73 normal controls (NCs) <italic>via</italic> real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were delineated to evaluate their diagnostic value in PD. In addition, their associations with demographic, key motor, and non-motor symptoms were explored by serial scales.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The expression levels of plasma miR-153 and miR-223 were significantly decreased in patients with PD relative to NCs. The area under the ROC curve separating PD from NCs was 63.1% for miR-153 and 86.2% for miR-223, respectively. The plasma miR-153 level in <italic>de novo</italic> PD was lower than that in treated patients (<italic>p</italic> = 0.006), its level increased gradually with disease duration (<italic>r</italic> = 0.358, <italic>p</italic> = 0.002) and Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale Part III score (<italic>r</italic> = 0.264, <italic>p</italic> = 0.022). Plasma miR-223 level was decreased in patients with clinical possible rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (cpRBD) compared with those without cpRBD (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), and its level was negatively associated with RBDSQ score (<italic>r</italic> = -0.334, <italic>p</italic> = 0.003). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that disease duration (<italic>p</italic> = 0.049) was the independently associated factor of miR-153 level; whereas, RBDSQ (<italic>p</italic> = 0.009) was related to miR-223 level in PD.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>Plasma miR-153 and miR-223 levels could be potential biomarkers of PD.</p></sec>