Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is responsible for more than 90% of primary hepatic cancer. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the contributing factors for HCC development. miRNAs are non-coding RNAs and are also involved in HCV replication. Expression variability of miRNA has also been reported in various cancers, including HCC. METHODS: By using different bioinformatics tools, panels of serum-based miRNA, including miR-1, miR-200b, miR-320d, miR-346, and miR-451a, were selected to investigate their role in HCV and HCV-HCC. Furthermore, RT-PCR was employed to confirm their regulation pattern in relation to the NF-KB and IL-6 in various study groups, including GI=control, GII = HCV, GIII = HCV_HCC, and GIV = HCC. RESULTS: The expression levels of miR-1, miR-346, and miR-451 were significantly downregulated in GII and GIII compared with GI. However, upregulated expression was observed against miR-200b, miR-320d, NF-κB, and IL-6 in GIII when compared with GI. In GIII, miR-451a (r = 0.6, p < 0.02) was found to have a positive association with NF-κB, while miR-1 (r = -0.7, p < 0.003) has a negative association with IL-6. ROC analysis revealed that the selected miRNAs, along with their related biomarkers, have enhanced the overall sensitivity and specificity (88% and 0.6%) of the GIII group compared to the GI group. CONCLUSION: The selected panel of miRNAs has served as diagnostic biomarkers against HCV-HCC.