Expression of MicroRNA-21 in Plasma of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Oral Cavity

Author: Santhosh Kumar Caliaperoumal, Saranyan Ravi, Balakrishnan Jeyakumar, Santhadevi A. and Neelamegam U.

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Abstract

The study aim was to evaluate the expression of miRNA 21 and to compare miRNA-21 in plasma of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity. The squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity is commonest malignancy in world and commonest in India with considerable mortality and morbidity. It poses a major challenge to health of individual and society. The diagnosis at early stage helps to reduce mortality and morbidity and has a better prognosis. Multiple molecular and biochemical markers are studied for diagnosis, prognosis and recurrence prediction. One of the recently studied marker is miRNAs. The microRNAs (miRNAs) are small, tiny, non-coding RNAs that are observed to be up or down-regulated in patients with Oral cancer and play a role in all levels of carcinogenesis. One of the common miRNA is miRNA-21 and is upregulated in oral carcinomas. A case control study with 30 patients of SCCO and 30 controls of healthy subjects was done. The miRNA-21 levels were evaluated in blood plasma of cases and controls. The miRNA-21 fold change was observed and compared with SCCO and controls. The plasma miRNA-21 level was significantly increased between SCCO cases and controls. Further, the patients with moderately differentiated and Stage-4 SCCO showed increase in fold change of miRNA-21 significantly compared to well-differentiated and Stage-3 SCCO patients. We concluded from the study that the plasma miR-21 levels clearly differentiate between the normal healthy individual and SCCO cases. Further it also differentiates the Squamous cell carcinoma- well differentiated and Squamous cell carcinoma- moderately differentiated. It also differentiates stage-3 and stage-4 SCCO. So miRNA-21 may be of help as added prognostic and diagnostic marker for SCCO.

Keywords

Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Oral cavity (SCCO), Plasma, microRNA-21(miRNA-21/miR-21), microRNA

Conclusion

The Present study and earlier reports suggest that there is a close association of miRNA-21 with that of progress of SCCO as with increasing histopathological grades and clinical stages of tumour carcinogenesis. The over expression of miRNA may be utilized as a marker for early detection of SCCO as well as recurrence screening. The present study result concludes that plasma miR-21 levels clearly differentiate between the normal healthy individual and SCCO cases. Further it also differentiates the well differentiated and moderately differentiated Squamous cell carcinoma. It also differentiates stage-3 and stage-4 SCCO. So miRNA-21 may be used as adjuvant screening diagnostic marker and prognostic marker in SCCO.

References

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How to cite this article

Santhosh Kumar Caliaperoumal, Saranyan Ravi, Balakrishnan Jeyakumar, Santhadevi A. and Neelamegam U. (2023). Expression of MicroRNA-21 in Plasma of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Oral Cavity. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(3): 207-211.