Comparative levels of microRNA expression (hsa-miR-29c and hsa-miR-19b) in the blood of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and healthy individuals: biomarker potential

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Abstract

Background: Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. Pathological features include the deposition of extracellular «senile plaques» and «neurofibrillary tangles» in the brain parenchyma, leading to neuronal death and the development of cognitive impairment. The lack of reliable diagnostic methods for Alzheimer’s disease and effective treatment necessitates the search for new biomarkers, such as microRNA (miRNA).

Objective: Comparative assessment of the blood expression levels of hsa-miR-29c and hsa-miR-19b in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and cognitively healthy individuals.

Materials and methods: The study was conducted at the Geriatric Center of Republican Clinical Hospital No. 3 in Yakutsk. The sample included 11 patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and 7 healthy controls. MicroRNA expression levels were analyzed using quantitative PCR. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and ROC analysis.

Results: Decreased expression of hsa-miR-29c and hsa-miR-19b was detected in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The median expression of miR-29c decreased by 1.5 times, and miR-19b by 78.8 times, but statistical significance was not reached (p=0.495 and p=0.222, respectively). In contrast, the miR 19b/miR 29c ratio discriminated between patients with Alzheimer’s disease and the control group with statistically significant accuracy (AUC=0.817; p=0.039), highlighting its potential as a biomarker.

Conclusion: The results of the study highlight the importance of hsa-miR-29c and hsa-miR-19b as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of Alzheimer’s disease progression. Further studies are required to confirm the obtained data and evaluate their clinical significance. Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, microRNA, biomarkers, BACE1, neurodegeneration

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About the authors

Vyacheslav M. Nikolaev

Yakutsk Scientific Center for Complex Medical Problems

Author for correspondence.
Email: nikolaev1126@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4490-8910
Scopus Author ID: 57222068565

Cand. Sci. (Biol.), Senior Researcher, Laboratory of Precancerogenesis and Malignant Tumors, Department of Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases Epidemiology

Russian Federation, Yakutsk

Viktoria N. Mestnikova

Republican Clinical Hospital No. 3

Email: Vika.mestnikova@mail.ru

Neurologist

Russian Federation, Yakutsk

Natalia M. Krasnova

Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University

Email: krasnova14@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4811-7801
Scopus Author ID: 57205162915

Cand. Sci. (Med.), Associate Professor

Russian Federation, Yakutsk

Aleksandra S. Asekritova

Republican Clinical Hospital No. 3; Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University

Email: my@asekritova-8.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5378-2128
Scopus Author ID: 57191518340

Cand. Sci. (Med.), Head of the Center for Predictive Medicine and Bioinformatics, Associate Professor

Russian Federation, Yakutsk; Yakutsk

Olga V. Tatarinova

Republican Clinical Hospital No. 3; Yakutsk Scientific Center for Complex Medical Problems

Email: tov3568@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-5499-9524
Scopus Author ID: 57989647200

Dr. Sci. (Med.), Chief Physician, Senior Researcher

Russian Federation, Yakutsk; Yakutsk

Dmitry A. Sychev

Russian Medical Academy of Continuous Professional Education

Email: edu@rmapo.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4496-3680
Scopus Author ID: 7801389135

Dr. Sci. (Med.), Professor, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the B.E. Votchal Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapy

Russian Federation, Moscow

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2. Figure 1. Circulating miR-29c expression in controls and patients with Alzheimer's disease

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3. Figure 2. Comparison of circulating miR-19b levels between healthy individuals and Alzheimer's disease patients

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4. Figure 3. ROC analysis of the diagnostic performance of the miR-19b/miR-29c ratio in differentiating between patients with Alzheimer's disease and controls

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