Investigation of the expression of miRNAs with biomarker potential in newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia patients

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is characterized by the abnormal proliferation of immature myeloid cells. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression, and their dysregulation is suggested to contribute to AML development. In this study, the expression levels of miR-216a-5p, miR-223-3p, and miR-490-3p were investigated in newly diagnosed AML patients. MiRNA expressions were determined using RT-PCR in 26 newly diagnosed AML patients and 26 healthy controls. Bone marrow and peripheral blood samples were collected from patients, while only peripheral blood samples were available for healthy controls due to the inability to collect bone marrow samples. The mean age of the patients was 61.88 ± 15.24 years, and for the healthy controls, it was 50.12 ± 7.08 years. Results were calculated using the 2−ΔΔCt method. Data analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U Test and the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test, with statistical significance defined as p <0.05. When comparing bone marrow and peripheral blood expression levels in AML patients, significant differences were found for miR-216a-5p (p=0.016) and miR-223 3p (p= 0.006). Therefore, bone marrow samples of AML patients were not compared with the peripheral blood samples of the healthy controls. Since no significant difference was observed in miR-490-3p expression between bone marrow and peripheral blood samples (p=0.551), these samples were compared with those of the healthy controls. miR-490-3p expression was significantly higher in both bone marrow (p = 0.0002) and peripheral blood (p = 0.01) samples of AML patients compared to healthy controls. In the peripheral blood samples of AML patients, miR-216a-5p expression was significantly lower than in healthy controls (p<0.0001). No statistically significant difference was found for miR-223-3p expression between the peripheral blood samples of AML patients and healthy controls (p=0.534). The functions of miR 216a-5p and miR-490-3p in AML are not yet fully understood. Further studies are required to investigate the mechanisms underlying the decreased expression of miR 216a-5p and the increased expression of miR-490-3p in AML patients.