Aberrant expression of microRNAs 16 and 21 and gene targets in women with unexplained recurrent miscarriage: A case-control study

Background: Recurrent miscarriage, as the occurrence of two or more of pregnancy loss before the 20th wk, can occur for multiple causes. One of the causes of miscarriage may be a defect in the process of angiogenesis because the delivery of nutrients to the fetus is decreased and it may lead to miscarriage. Also, micro ribonucleic acids play an important role in the development of diseases. The microRNAs 16 and 21 are the most well-known angiogenesis-related miRNAs, which their gene targets are vascular endothelial growth factor-A and phosphatase and tensin homolog, respectively. Objective: To evaluate the changes in expression of microRNAs 16 and 21 and their association with the gene targets in women with unexplained RM. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, blood samples were taken from 25 women with unexplained RM and 25 controls. After extraction of RNA, the relative expression of microRNAs and their gene targets was measured using realtime quantitative reverse transcription-PCR method. Results: Our findings showed that miR-21 expression was significantly decreased in both plasma and peripheral mononuclear cells (p=0.04 and p=0.02, respectively) and could be associated with the PTEN expression (p=0.03), however, there is no significant correlation between miR-16 and VEGF-A. Conclusion: One of the most remarkable results of this study is that miR-21 showed significant changes in both plasma and peripheral mononuclear cells, which can be related to the etiology and progression of RM.