Micro expression and its relationship with fracture risk in postfracture osteoporotic women

Aim: Our main aim in this study is to compare the expression levels of mir-133a and mir335-5p in our patient group, postmonopausal women, and control group, osteopenic/healthy women. At the same time, it is to investigate the utility of miRNAs as biomarkers in diagnosing osteoporosis and their contribution to the prediction of fractures that may develop in the future. Material and Methods: From the beginning of the study, 49 osteoporosis patients diagnosed with postmenopausal osteoporosis according to WHO criteria, who applied to Adnan Menderes University Application and Research Hospital, and 20 volunteer osteopenic/healthy individuals who were not found to have osteoporosis after postmenopausal osteoporosis screening were included in the study. After obtaining the written consent of the patients, age, gender, height, weight, body-mass index (BMI), education level, occupation, marital status, duration of current complaints, smoking, alcohol consumption and family histories, osteoporotic fracture history (clinical and asymptomatic vertebral shards included ), family history of hip fracture, use of glucocorticoids, causes of secondary osteoporosis and the drugs they used were questioned, and BMD, LT/FN score, and FRAX scores were calculated and recorded. Blood samples were taken from the patients to be used in blood biochemistry/hemogram analysis and miRNA analysis by real-time PCR method. Result: The patients included in the study were divided into two groups as the patient group, 49 of whom were diagnosed with osteoporosis, and the control group, which consisted of 20 osteopenic/healthy individuals. When the basic characteristics between the groups were compared, age, height, mean weight, number of patients with hypertension/diabetes diagnosis were not statistically different between the two groups. The mean BMI was found to be higher in the patient group than in the control group (p=0.06). When the blood analyzes were examined, the mean calcium value was found to be high in the osteopenic/healthy patient group (p:<0,05). There is no statistically significant difference in other parameters. Although mir-133a expression levels were not statistically different between the two groups, fold regulation value was found to be upregulated in the patient group compared to the control group (p=0.078; fold regulation: 2.4). mir-335-5p was statistically similar at expression level between groups; however, the fold regulation value tended to be down-regulated in the control group compared to the patient group (p: 0.68; fold regulation: -1.1). Mean Lumbar BMD values were low in that patient group; however, no significant difference was observed between the femoral BMD values (p:<0.01; p:0.21, respectively). When the patient groups were evaluated in the correlation analysis, a negative correlation was observed between mir133a, Lumbar BMD and a positive correlation with the FRAX hip score (r:-.309, p:<0.05, respectively; r: .341, p<0.01) No correlation was observed between mir-335-5p and BMD values. A negative correlation was found between FRAX hip score and (r:-.354, p<0.01). Conclusion: Osteoporosis, one of the most common problems of postmenopausal women, is a difficult and complex pathology to diagnose and treat. In our study, we demonstrated the role of microRNAs in clinical heterogeneity in postmenopausal osteoporosis, their usability as a biomarker, and their usability for the possibility of a new therapeutic target. Since experimental evidence for bone-associated miRNAs is limited, more studies are needed to examine miRNAs thought to be involved in the ossification process. Key Words: BMD, FRAX score, mir-133a, mir-335-5p, Osteopenia, Postmenopausal osteoporosis.