Iranian
Biomedical Journal
Abstract:
Background: Sulfur mustard (SM) causes chronic cutaneous injuries characterized by inflammation, fibrosis, and delayed wound healing. MicroRNAs such as miR-148a-5p have been implicated in the regulation of TGF-β signaling pathways involved in these processes. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate whether alterations in miR-148a-5p, TGF-β1, and TGF-βR2 expression are associated with long-term SM-induced skin damage.
Methods: Skin biopsy samples were collected from 20 SM-exposed veterans and 20 healthy controls. Total RNA was extracted, and quantitative real-time PCR was performed to assess the expression levels of miR-148a-5p, TGF-β1, and TGF-βR2. Group differences were analyzed using t-test, and ROC curves were generated to evaluate diagnostic performance.
Results: Expression levels of miR-148a-5p, TGF-β1, and TGF-βR2 were significantly lower in SM-exposed skin compared with controls (miR-148a-5p: p = 0.0010; TGF-β1: p < 0.0001; TGF-βR2: p < 0.0001). ROC analysis showed that miR-148a-5p and TGF-βR2 had promising discriminative potential, whereas TGF-β1 did not reach statistical significance (AUC = 0.65; p = 0.0877).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that reduced expression of miR-148a-5p and TGF-βR2 may play a role in SM-related skin injury. These two markers showed potential diagnostic utility and could contribute to risk stratification and monitoring in SM-induced skin disease, pending further validation in larger cohorts.
Methods: Skin biopsy samples were collected from 20 SM-exposed veterans and 20 healthy controls. Total RNA was extracted, and quantitative real-time PCR was performed to assess the expression levels of miR-148a-5p, TGF-β1, and TGF-βR2. Group differences were analyzed using t-test, and ROC curves were generated to evaluate diagnostic performance.
Results: Expression levels of miR-148a-5p, TGF-β1, and TGF-βR2 were significantly lower in SM-exposed skin compared with controls (miR-148a-5p: p = 0.0010; TGF-β1: p < 0.0001; TGF-βR2: p < 0.0001). ROC analysis showed that miR-148a-5p and TGF-βR2 had promising discriminative potential, whereas TGF-β1 did not reach statistical significance (AUC = 0.65; p = 0.0877).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that reduced expression of miR-148a-5p and TGF-βR2 may play a role in SM-related skin injury. These two markers showed potential diagnostic utility and could contribute to risk stratification and monitoring in SM-induced skin disease, pending further validation in larger cohorts.
Type of Study: Full Length/Original Article |
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