Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
MicroRNA levels linked to liver fibrosis in Labrador Retrievers
By Sakai, Manabu et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2019·Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association of circulating microRNA-122 and microRNA-29a with stage of fibrosis and progression of chronic hepatitis in Labrador Retrievers.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 22 Labrador Retrievers with chronic hepatitis (a liver condition) were studied to see if certain microRNAs in their blood could help track the disease's progression. Researchers found that two specific microRNAs, miR-122 and miR-29a, were linked to the severity of the liver damage and could indicate how advanced the disease was. Higher levels of these microRNAs were found in dogs with chronic hepatitis and liver cirrhosis compared to those with normal liver function. This suggests that measuring these microRNAs could help veterinarians monitor treatment responses and disease progression in dogs with liver issues.
People also search for: Labrador Retriever chronic hepatitis treatment · liver disease in dogs symptoms · miR-122 miR-29a in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis (CH) in dogs is common and has the tendency to progress to liver cirrhosis (LC). Circulating microRNAs might have the potential as markers for disease progression. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether concentration of specific microRNAs in serum correlate with the stage and grade of CH in Labrador Retrievers. ANIMALS: Twenty-two Labrador Retrievers with histological CH (n = 8), LC (n = 7), and normal liver (NL, n = 7). METHODS: In this retrospective study, serum concentrations of miR-122, miR-29a, miR-133a, miR-181b, and miR-17-5p were measured by quantitative real-time PCR and evaluated using univariate linear regression in dogs. A multivariate model was fit including the grade of hepatitis and the stage of fibrosis. RESULTS: Of the 5 microRNAs, only circulating miR-122 and miR-29a were significantly associated with the grade of hepatitis and the stage of fibrosis. A positive correlation was identified between the grade of hepatitis with miR-122 (r = 0.79, P < .001) and miR-29a (r = 0.78, P < .001). Both miR-122 (r = 0.81, P < .001) and miR-29a (r = 0.67, P < .001) showed a significant positive correlation with the stage of fibrosis. MiR-122 concentrations were significantly higher in the CH (P < .01) and LC groups (P < .001) compared to the NL group. MiR-29a concentrations were significantly higher in the CH (P < .001) and LC (P < .001) groups compared to the NL group. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Circulating miR-122 and miR-29a concentrations might be useful for monitoring the response to treatment and progression of canine CH.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30548329/