Background:

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally. Accumulating evidence indicates that the miR-30 family takes part in the development of multiple tissues and organs, and is a potential contributor to various dis eases, including autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of miR-30e-5p, a member of the miR-30 fam ily, and investigate its potential relationship to clinical characteristics and possible disease activity in an Egyptian SLE cohort.

Methods:

Serum samples from 40 SLE patients and 37 age and gender matched healthy sub jects were tested for miR-30e-5p expression level using the Taqman quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Analysis was performed using the 2 - AACT method.

Results:

The mean age of the patients was 28.7 ± 7.9 years, with a mean disease duration of 6.4 ±5.3 years. The median fold change in serum miR-30e-5p among our SLE cohort was significantly higher 1.748 (0.223-20.485) compared to the control group 0.877 (0.058-3.522) (P = 0.02). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that miR-30e-5p expres sion level can discriminate SLE patients from controls at a cut-off value >1.06 with the area under the curve (AUC) = 0.676 (95% CI: 0.559-0.794, P = 0.02), with 64.3% sensitivity and 61.5% specificity. There was no correlation between any of the demographic features, clinical manifestations (apart from serositis, P = 0.013) or disease activity and miR-30e-5p levels.

Conclusion:

Our study demonstrated elevated miR-30e-5p expression levels in serum sam ples of SLE patients. Apart from serositis, it was not associated with any other disease characteristics.

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