To investigate the expression levels of miR-146a and miR -16 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and their correlation to the disease activity.
The expression levels of miR-146a and miR-16 in the in PBMCs were measured using real-time RT-PCR in 40 RA patients and 16 healthy individuals. The correlations of miR-146a and miR-16 expressions to the disease activity of RA were analyzed.
The expression levels of miR-146a and miR-16 in the PBMCs of RA patients increased significantly compared to those in the healthy individuals (P<0.05). Their expression levels was significantly higher in active RA patients than in patients with disease remission (P<0.05) and healthy individuals (P<0.01). The expression levels of miR-146a and miR-16 were positively correlated to ESR, CRP and the disease activity scores in 28 joints (DAS28) (P<0.01), but not to RF (P>0.05).
The elevated expression levels of miR-146a and miR-16 are correlated to RA disease activity, suggesting their value in assessment of the clinical disease activity of RA.