Circulating miRNA is a useful diagnostic biomarker for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

AbstractNonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is considered as a progressive form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To distinguish NASH from nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), we evaluated the diagnostic value of circulating miRNAs. Small RNA sequencing was performed on 12 NAFL patients and 12 NASH patients, and the miRNA expression was compared. After selecting miRNAs for the diagnosis of NASH, we analyzed the diagnostic accuracy of each miRNA and the combination of miRNAs. External validation was performed using quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Among the 2,588 miRNAs, 26 miRNAs significantly increased in the NASH group than in the NAFL group. Among the 26 elevated miRNAs in the NASH group, 8 miRNAs were selected, and in silico analysis was performed. Only four miRNAs (miR-21-5p, miR-151a-3p, miR-192-5p, and miR-4449) showed significant area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) values for NASH diagnosis. The combination of the four miRNAs showed satisfactory diagnostic accuracy for NASH (AUC 0.875; 95% CI 0.676–0.973). External validation revealed similar diagnostic accuracy for NASH (AUC 0.874; 95% CI 0.724–0.960). NASH represents significantly distinct miRNA expression profile compared with NAFL. The combination of serum circulating miRNAs can be used as a novel biomarker for the NASH diagnosis in NAFLD.

Download Full-text

External Validation of the Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Scoring System in Patients With Biopsy-Proven Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in China

Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology ◽

10.1016/j.cgh.2020.04.009 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Ke Xu ◽

Kenneth I. Zheng ◽

Ming-Hua Zheng

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis ◽

Scoring System ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

External Validation ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver

Download Full-text

Circulating miRNAs as Novel Diagnostic Biomarkers in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology ◽

10.1155/2019/2096161 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Changzhou Cai ◽

Yiming Lin ◽

Chaohui Yu

Keyword(s):

Liver Disease ◽

Diagnostic Accuracy ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Circulating Mirnas ◽

Diagnostic Biomarkers ◽

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver ◽

Mirna Profiling

Background and Aims. Recent studies have indicated that circulating miRNAs could serve as accurate biomarkers for diagnosing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aimed to assess the evidence on the probability of circulating miRNAs as new diagnostic biomarkers in patients with NAFLD. Methods. We comprehensively retrieved relevant English literature from the databases of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library from 2000 to 1 January 2019. The diagnostic accuracy of circulating miRNAs as markers for NAFLD was analyzed. Moreover, we evaluated the methodological quality of the included article. STATA was applied to perform statistical analyses. Results. In this meta-analysis, 17 studies that enrolled 1408 patients of NAFLD and 926 healthy people from 6 articles were analyzed. We constructed a summary receiver-operating characteristic (SROC) curve of all circulating miRNAs, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.83, with the pooled sensitivity (SEN) 0.70 and the pooled specificity (SPE) 0.82 in distinguishing patients with NAFLD from healthy controls. Among them, miR-122 showed high diagnostic accuracy, with the diagnostic index of pooled SEN, SPE, and AUC being 0.88, 0.66, and 0.86, respectively. We then performed subgroup analyses based on the mode of miRNA regulation, countries, miRNA profiling, sample size, and male proportion. We then did a regression analysis and found the cause of heterogeneity might be miRNA profiling. Finally, publication bias was not found, and Fagan’s nomogram showed valuable clinical utility. Conclusion. Circulating miRNAs, especially miR-122, might be promising diagnostic biomarkers for NAFLD with high-accuracy, and more large-sample studies are required to support the above findings in the future.

Download Full-text