Sex-Independent Upregulation of miR-146a-5p in Parkinson’s Disease Patients: A Longitudinal Study
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms. The absence of reliable fluid biomarkers continues to hinder early diagnosis and effective monitoring of disease progression. Circulating microRNAs (cmiRNAs) are potential candidates, given their stability in biofluids and their ability to mirror pathological processes. We conducted a longitudinal study in 30 early-stage levodopa-naive PD patients (22 men, 8 women). Serum samples were collected at baseline (T0) and at a follow-up time point two years later (T2). A panel of MicroRNAs (miRNAs) (miR-146a-5p, miR-34a-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-29a-3p, miR-106a-5p) were quantified by quantitative real-time PCR. Data were expressed as relative expression (2^-ΔCt), and statistical analyses included sex-stratified comparisons and paired tests for longitudinal changes. At baseline, no significant differences were found in the expression of the miRNAs between male and female PD patients. In contrast, longitudinal within-subject analysis revealed a highly significant upregulation in miR-146a-5p expression from T0 to T2 in both sexes (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). No other miRNAs in the panel exhibited significant changes over time. CmiR-146a-5p levels rise markedly over time in PD patients, independent of sex, suggesting that this miRNA could be a dynamic biomarker of disease progression.
Authors
- Giulia Lazzeri (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9912-2002)
- Andrea Soricelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7011-7667)
- Marina Picillo
- Tommaso Iannitti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4758-0562)
- Augusta Giglio
- Julio César Morales‐Medina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8712-2400)
- Calogero Edoardo Cicero (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8647-8851)
- Rosa De Micco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6397-8888)
- Roberto Cilia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1990-1939)
- Anna De Rosa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5618-2478)
- Roberta Zangaglia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0962-1845)
- Marianna Amboni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6988-8197)
- Roberto Eleopra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6035-9715)
- Alessio Di Fonzo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6478-026X)
- Paolo Barone (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7222-8627)
- Annamaria Vallelunga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8833-0404)
- Maria Teresa Pellecchia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6217-313X)
- C. Pacchetti
- Giovanna Dati (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3717-5130)
- Alessandro Tessitore (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2913-6548)
- Alessandra Nicoletti
Institutions
- Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala (MX)
- University of Salerno (IT)
- University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (IT)
- University of Ferrara (IT)
- Foundation Center (US)
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico (IT)
- University of Catania (IT)
- Ospedale Maggiore (IT)
- Urology Foundation (GB)
- Istituto Ortopedico Gaetano Pini (IT)
- Federico II University Hospital (IT)
- Policlinico Universitario di Catania (IT)
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta (IT)
- Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (MX)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences
- Published
- 2025-10-23
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262110315
- Primary Topic
- MicroRNA in disease regulation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00