The utility of miR-16, miR-146a and miR-155 in serum and urine for juvenile idiopathic arthritis diagnostics and monitoring

Abstract Background Biomarker search for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) diagnosis and monitoring remain the focus of research worldwide. Several microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as relevant in different rheumatic conditions; however, studies in JIA remain limited. Our study aimed to expl...

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Main Authors: Ausra Snipaitiene, Kristina Snipaitiene, Andzelika Slegeryte, Benita Buragaite-Staponkiene, Asta Baranauskaite, Sonata Jarmalaite, Lina Jankauskaite
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-07-01
Series:Pediatric Rheumatology Online Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12969-025-01136-w
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author Ausra Snipaitiene
Kristina Snipaitiene
Andzelika Slegeryte
Benita Buragaite-Staponkiene
Asta Baranauskaite
Sonata Jarmalaite
Lina Jankauskaite
author_facet Ausra Snipaitiene
Kristina Snipaitiene
Andzelika Slegeryte
Benita Buragaite-Staponkiene
Asta Baranauskaite
Sonata Jarmalaite
Lina Jankauskaite
author_sort Ausra Snipaitiene
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Biomarker search for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) diagnosis and monitoring remain the focus of research worldwide. Several microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as relevant in different rheumatic conditions; however, studies in JIA remain limited. Our study aimed to explore the potential of serum and urine-derived miRNAs for JIA diagnostics and longitudinal JIA monitoring. Methods In this single-center, prospective study, three selected miRNAs (miR-16, -146a and -155) were tested in serial serum and urine samples collected from 31 JIA patients and 22 healthy controls (HC) via quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‒qPCR). The diagnostic performance of variables for distinguishing JIA patients from HCs was assessed by determining the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). The prediction of remission was evaluated using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Lower miR-16 and higher miR-155 levels were detected in serum of JIA patients’ vs. HC (p < 0.01), whereas the level of miR-146a was lower in urine of JIA patients (p = 0.032). In ROC analysis, miR-16 and miR-155 distinguished JIA patients from HC when analyzed in serum (AUC 0.81, 95% CI 0.70–0.93, p < 0.001 and AUC 0.73, 95% CI 0.59–0.87, p = 0.005, respectively), and miR-146a– in urine (AUC 0.68, 95% CI 0.53–0.82, p = 0.030). During 12 months follow-up period increasing miR-16 (p = 0.021) and decreasing miR-155 (p = 0.009) levels were observed in serum samples. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that a high level of miR-146a in serum significantly predicts JIA remission (HR = 2.2, 95% CI 0.7–6.9, p = 0.040). Conclusions This study highlights the utility of miRNAs in JIA diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis and demonstrates the feasibility of using urine as a noninvasive source of miRNAs in children with non-systemic JIA.
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series Pediatric Rheumatology Online Journal
spelling doaj-art-c54b8a85aad740a1b68f20c9e928bbb62025-08-20T04:01:53ZengBMCPediatric Rheumatology Online Journal1546-00962025-07-0123111310.1186/s12969-025-01136-wThe utility of miR-16, miR-146a and miR-155 in serum and urine for juvenile idiopathic arthritis diagnostics and monitoringAusra Snipaitiene0Kristina Snipaitiene1Andzelika Slegeryte2Benita Buragaite-Staponkiene3Asta Baranauskaite4Sonata Jarmalaite5Lina Jankauskaite6Faculty of Medicine, Pediatric Department, Lithuanian University of Health SciencesInstitute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Pediatric Department, Lithuanian University of Health SciencesInstitute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Rheumatology Department, Lithuanian University of Health SciencesInstitute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Pediatric Department, Lithuanian University of Health SciencesAbstract Background Biomarker search for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) diagnosis and monitoring remain the focus of research worldwide. Several microRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as relevant in different rheumatic conditions; however, studies in JIA remain limited. Our study aimed to explore the potential of serum and urine-derived miRNAs for JIA diagnostics and longitudinal JIA monitoring. Methods In this single-center, prospective study, three selected miRNAs (miR-16, -146a and -155) were tested in serial serum and urine samples collected from 31 JIA patients and 22 healthy controls (HC) via quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‒qPCR). The diagnostic performance of variables for distinguishing JIA patients from HCs was assessed by determining the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC). The prediction of remission was evaluated using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Lower miR-16 and higher miR-155 levels were detected in serum of JIA patients’ vs. HC (p < 0.01), whereas the level of miR-146a was lower in urine of JIA patients (p = 0.032). In ROC analysis, miR-16 and miR-155 distinguished JIA patients from HC when analyzed in serum (AUC 0.81, 95% CI 0.70–0.93, p < 0.001 and AUC 0.73, 95% CI 0.59–0.87, p = 0.005, respectively), and miR-146a– in urine (AUC 0.68, 95% CI 0.53–0.82, p = 0.030). During 12 months follow-up period increasing miR-16 (p = 0.021) and decreasing miR-155 (p = 0.009) levels were observed in serum samples. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that a high level of miR-146a in serum significantly predicts JIA remission (HR = 2.2, 95% CI 0.7–6.9, p = 0.040). Conclusions This study highlights the utility of miRNAs in JIA diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis and demonstrates the feasibility of using urine as a noninvasive source of miRNAs in children with non-systemic JIA.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12969-025-01136-wJuvenile idiopathic arthritisMicroRNAUrineSerumCirculatingNon-invasive
spellingShingle Ausra Snipaitiene
Kristina Snipaitiene
Andzelika Slegeryte
Benita Buragaite-Staponkiene
Asta Baranauskaite
Sonata Jarmalaite
Lina Jankauskaite
The utility of miR-16, miR-146a and miR-155 in serum and urine for juvenile idiopathic arthritis diagnostics and monitoring
Pediatric Rheumatology Online Journal
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
MicroRNA
Urine
Serum
Circulating
Non-invasive
title The utility of miR-16, miR-146a and miR-155 in serum and urine for juvenile idiopathic arthritis diagnostics and monitoring
title_full The utility of miR-16, miR-146a and miR-155 in serum and urine for juvenile idiopathic arthritis diagnostics and monitoring
title_fullStr The utility of miR-16, miR-146a and miR-155 in serum and urine for juvenile idiopathic arthritis diagnostics and monitoring
title_full_unstemmed The utility of miR-16, miR-146a and miR-155 in serum and urine for juvenile idiopathic arthritis diagnostics and monitoring
title_short The utility of miR-16, miR-146a and miR-155 in serum and urine for juvenile idiopathic arthritis diagnostics and monitoring
title_sort utility of mir 16 mir 146a and mir 155 in serum and urine for juvenile idiopathic arthritis diagnostics and monitoring
topic Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
MicroRNA
Urine
Serum
Circulating
Non-invasive
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12969-025-01136-w
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