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Updated: Aug 24, 2025
Saline Lavage for Sampling of the Canine Nasal Immune Microenvironment
Published on: December 27, 2024
Salivary miR-21 is a potential biomarker for canine mast cell tumors
Valentina Zamarian1,2, Damiano Stefanello1, Roberta Ferrari1
1Università degli Studi di Milano, Lodi, Italy.
Abstract:
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNA molecules playing a crucial role in tumor modulation targeting mRNA. This study aimed to validate the diagnostic potential of a panel of 3 miRNAs previously identified in canine mast cell tumors (MCTs), miR-21, miR-379, and miR-885, as markers of lymph node involvement in terms of histological absence (nonmetastatic: HN0; premetastatic: HN1) and presence (early-metastatic: HN2; overt-metastatic: HN3) of metastasis, in the saliva of mast cell tumor (MCT)-affected dogs by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Forty-seven saliva samples were analyzed: 36 from MCT-affected dogs (12 subcutaneous [3 HN0-1 and 9 HN2-3] and 24 cutaneous [9 HN0-1 and 15 HN2-3-MCT]) and 11 from healthy dogs. MCT-group effects were investigated using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The origin of the tumor affected the expression of salivary miR-21 (P = .011) with an increase in cases with subcutaneous MCTs compared with the healthy group (P = .0005) and those with cutaneous MCTs (P = .004). Salivary miR-21 was higher in the HN2-3 class compared with the healthy group (P = .004). Salivary miR-885 was not affected by the presence of MCT, while miR-379 was not detected in saliva. The diagnostic potential of salivary miR-21 in discriminating MCT-affected dogs from the healthy group (AUC = 0.8917), cutaneous from subcutaneous (AUC = 0.8111), and subcutaneous HN0-1 (AUC = 0.7250) and HN2-3 (AUC = 0.9750) classes from healthy samples was demonstrated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Overall, salivary miR-21 was identified as a promising tool, representing a novel approach to detecting MCT-associated epigenetic alterations in a minimally invasive manner.
Insights
Salivary miR-21 shows diagnostic potential for canine mast cell tumors (MCTs), distinguishing between tumor types and metastasis stages. This minimally invasive biomarker aids in detecting epigenetic alterations associated with MCTs.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Veterinary Oncology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression involved in cancer development.
- Canine mast cell tumors (MCTs) are common and require accurate diagnostic tools for staging.
- Previous studies identified specific miRNAs as potential biomarkers for canine MCTs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the diagnostic potential of salivary miR-21, miR-379, and miR-885 in dogs with MCTs.
- To assess these miRNAs as markers for lymph node involvement and metastasis.
- To evaluate salivary miR-21 as a non-invasive biomarker for MCT detection and characterization.
Main Methods:
- Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to analyze miRNA expression in saliva samples.
- Saliva samples were collected from 47 dogs: 36 with MCTs (varying stages and types) and 11 healthy controls.
- Statistical analyses, including ANOVA and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, were performed.
Main Results:
- Salivary miR-21 expression was significantly higher in dogs with subcutaneous MCTs compared to healthy dogs and those with cutaneous MCTs.
- Elevated salivary miR-21 levels were observed in dogs with advanced metastasis (HN2-3) compared to healthy controls.
- miR-379 was undetectable, and miR-885 expression was not significantly affected by MCT presence.
Conclusions:
- Salivary miR-21 demonstrates significant diagnostic potential for differentiating MCT-affected dogs from healthy individuals.
- miR-21 effectively distinguishes between cutaneous and subcutaneous MCTs, and between different stages of metastasis.
- Salivary miR-21 represents a promising, minimally invasive tool for detecting MCT-associated epigenetic alterations in dogs.
