Correlation of plasma microRNA-21 expression and bone turnover markers in postmenopausal women

Abstract

Objectives: This study assessed the correlation of plasma microRNA-21 expression and bone turnover markers (BTMs: CTx, P1NP) in healthy Thai postmenopausal women. We secondarily compared microRNA-21 expression between participants with normal and low bone mineral density (BMD: osteopenia and osteoporosis).

Methods: Postmenopausal women who had never been diagnosed with fracture or never used anti-osteoporosis drugs were included in this study. Baseline characteristics were collected from all 195 participants. BTMs and plasma miR-21-5p were analyzed from blood collection at 8:00 and 9:00 am after overnight fasting for at least 8 h.

Results: There was no significant correlation between miR-21-5p and any of the BTMs (CTx, r = 0.094, p = 0.19; P1NP, r = 0.05, p = 0.485). Significant correlation between miR-21-5p and P1NP was found when participants were further categorized into those aged ≥70 years (r = 0.46, p = 0.05) and those having osteoporosis (r = 0.51, p = 0.06). Slight negative correlations were found between miR-21-5p and BMD. There was statistically significant higher expression of miR-21-5p in those with low BMD when compared to the normal BMD group (p < 0.01).

Conclusion: In this study, we did not find significant correlation between plasma microRNA-21-5p expression and the BTMs. Nevertheless, there seemed to be higher expression of miR-21-5p in the low BMD participants.

Keywords:

• Bone turnover marker
• C-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen
• procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide
• microRNA-21
• postmenopausal osteoporosis
• epigenetic
• bone mineral density

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge all participants in this study. The success of this study would not have been possible without the cooperation of the Menopausal Research Unit, Division of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. The authors also sincerely would like to thank Mrs Phurichaya Somphan, Ms Thanawan Yoophasuk, and Mrs Kitsathorn Ongtilanont for their contribution to and support of the study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they do not have any conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Ratchadaphiseksomphot Endowment Fund, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University [Grant ID: Ratchadaphiseksomphot Endowment Fund (RA 60/039)], Ratchadaphiseksomphot Endowment Fund [Grant ID: 60/039].