[Effect of alprostadil on serum level of miRNA-155 
in uremic patients]

To investigate the serum levels of microRNA-155 (miR-155) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in uremic dialysis patients and to evaluate the effect of alprostadil (A) on them.

A total of 81 chronic kidney disease (CKD) uremic patients were divided into 4 groups: the peritoneal dialysis group (PD group, n=20), the peritoneal dialysis plus alprostadil group (PD+A group, n=20), the hemodialysis group (HD group, n=21), the hemodialysis plus alprostadil group (HD+A group, n=20). Sixteen healthy people were taken as the normal control (NC) group. The peripheral blood of all objects were collected for serum preparation. The expression of miRNA-155 was determined by real-time qPCR and the serum level of IL-6 was measured by ELISA. Experimental and clinical data of all the objects were collected.

Serum levels of miRNA-155 and IL-6 were increased in all dialysis patients groups compared with NC group (P<0.05); miRNA-155 expression in PD+A group was down-regulated compared with PD group or HD group (P<0.05); the levels of IL-6 in PD+A and HD+A group were significantly decreased compared with PD group or HD group (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that serum level of miR-155 was positively correlated with the level of IL-6 as well as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), while miR-155 was negatively correlated with HDL and albumin (P<0.01). Linear stepwise regression analysis indicated that serum miR-155 was independently associated with albumin and hs-CRP.

Serum miRNA-155 and IL-6 in uremic dialysis patients were remarkably increased compared to healthy objects. Serum miRNA-155 was positively correlated with the level of IL-6 as well as hs-CRP, while miR-155 was negatively correlated with HDL and albumin. Alprostadil could ameliorate the inflammatory conditions of uremic dialysis patients by inhibition of the IL-6 expression. Serum miRNA-155 may be a novel target for the treatment of uremic dialysis patients.