Severe Decline in Mir-20a and Mir-92a in the Context of the Mir-17-92 Cluster: Ideal Biomarkers of Various COPD Subtypes

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is going to be the third leading cause of death by 2020. Circulating miRNAs are among the most beneficial feasible non-aggressive biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Among members of the significant miR-17-92 cluster, miR-20a and miR-92a are greatly involved in both inflammation and hypoxia (known as the main reasons for COPD comorbidities). Thus, the expression of these miRNAs was evaluated in the serum of 26 patients and 19 controls using the sensitive stem-loop RT-qPCR approach. The results revealed a significant reduction of these miRNAs in patients relative to controls (P<0.001). Decreased expression of miR-20a in a patient might reflect a progressive stage of the disease. MiR-92a might be used as an early-detection biomarker of COPD. These miRNAs can be used as therapeutic targets specifically in the context of the miR-17-92 cluster to address the various clinicopathological aspects of the disease.