Interaction between intestinal microbiota, inflammatory cytokines, and the expression of miR-330-3p and miR-515-5p in patients with ulcerative colitis

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) has a complex pathogenesis involving multiple factors. This study aims to explore the interplay among intestinal microbiota, serum inflammatory cytokines, and miR-330-3p, miR-515-5p in UC patients for novel treatment strategies. Methods: The study enrolled 95 healthy controls, 88 UC patients in remission, and 91 in active diseases. Assessments included clinical data, intestinal microbiota detection (using culture methods), serum cytokine measurement (using ELISA assay), and miRNA expression analysis (using RTqPCR). ROC curves evaluated diagnostic value, and multivariate logistic regression identified risk factors. Results: From the control group to UC remission and then to seizure UC, significant decreases were observed in Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus counts, IL-10 levels, and miR-515-5p expression, while increases were noted in Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus counts, IL-6, TNF-<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250);">α</span> levels, and miR-330-3p expression (P< 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed improved diagnostic accuracy for UC with the combination of miR-330-3p and miR-515-5p (AUC=0.899, 95% CI: 0.936 -0.978, sensitivity: 92.18%, specificity: 88.42%). miR-515-5p positively correlated with beneficial microbiota and IL-10 (r > 0.5, p<0.001) and negatively with harmful microbiota, IL-6, and TNF-a (r< -0.5, p<0.001); miR-330-3p showed opposite correlations. miR-515-5p, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and IL-10 were protective factors for UC, whereas miR-330-3p, Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus, IL-6, and TNF-<span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 34); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 16px; background-color: rgb(248, 249, 250);">α</span> were risk factors. Conclusions: This study revealed interactions among intestinal microbiota, serum inflammatory cytokines, and miRNAs in UC patients, confirming the potential of miR-330-3p and miR-515-5p in UC diagnosis and assessment.