Abstract
BACKGROUND: Liver fibrosis is one of concerning outcomes of hepatitis with a complex interaction of different pathological processes including the epigenetics. MicroRNAs (miRNA) like miRNA 21 and 98 are recently being emphasized in era of epigenetics of liver diseases. The current study aims to evaluate liver function and the role of miRNA 21 and 98 in the occurrence of liver fibrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a case-control study comparing liver fibrosis patients with healthy adults with intact liver function as the control group. Laboratory and clinical tests were performed to evaluate liver function, and the diagnosis of viral hepatitis was confirmed using ELISA kits. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to analyze the expression levels of microRNA 21 and 98, following the extraction of RNA from the samples. RESULTS: Our study included 44 cases and 44 controls. Results revealed significant differences in demographic, clinical, and biochemical properties. Cases had higher mean BMI (34.36 ± 9.14 kg/m2, P=0.0486), higher levels of TSB, ALP, ALT, AST, and CRP, and lower albumin levels (P 0.05 for all). Gene expression analysis showed higher miRNA 21 (1.14, P 0.05) and lower miRNA 98 (1.68, P 0.05) in cases compared to controls. Among case group, females had higher expression of miRNA 21 (1.082 ± 0.23) and miRNA 98 (1.895 ± 0.41) compared to males (P0.05). Additionally, cases infected with HBV had higher expression of miRNA 21 (1.201 ± 0.31) and miRNA 98 (2.985 ± 0.56) compared to those infected with HCV (P0.05). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, miRNA 21 and miRNA 98 might be associated with liver fibrosis; while the exact pathophysiological explanation reminds unclear.