MiR-107 serves as a clinical biomarker for acute pancreatitis and promotes inflammation and fibrosis

Abstract Background Acute pancreatitis (AP) has a high risk of poor prognosis, yet effective biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis remain limited. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) play a central role in pancreatic inflammation and fibrosis. Purpose To investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value of miR-107 for AP and to explore its role in promoting inflammation and fibrosis in PSCs. Methods A total of 103 AP patients and 96 healthy controls were enrolled. Serum miR-107 levels were measured by RT-qPCR. Diagnostic and prognostic values were assessed by ROC curve, Kaplan-Meier curve, and multivariate Cox regression analysis. In vitro, a sodium taurocholate (STC)-induced AP cell model was used to evaluate the effects of miR-107 modulation on inflammatory factors, α-SMA, pro-fibrotic growth factors (TGF-β, CTGF), and extracellular matrix proteins (fibronectin, collagen I/III) in PSCs. Results Serum miR-107 levels were significantly elevated in AP patients compared to controls, yielding an AUC of 0.842 for diagnosis, and it was positively correlated with MCTSI and BISAP scores. High miR-107 expression was associated with elevated triglyceride, C-reactive protein, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, lactate dehydrogenase, amylase, lipase, and fibrinogen, and was identified as an independent risk factor for poor prognosis (hazard ratio = 4.671). In vitro, inhibition of miR-107 significantly reduced the STC-induced upregulation of inflammatory factors, α-SMA, TGF-β, CTGF, fibronectin, and collagen I/III, while a miR-107 mimic enhanced these effects. Conclusions Serum miR-107 may serve as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for AP and may promote pancreatic inflammation and fibrosis by activating PSCs.