Expression of miR‑376 in blood of pregnant women with preeclampsia and its effect on 25‑hydroxyvitamin D

The study aims to investigate the clinical significance of regulating the expression of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-VD) via microRNA (miRNA)-376c in the occurrence and development of preeclampsia (PE) in pregnant women. Peripheral blood and placental tissues were collected from pregnant women in 4 groups, including 67 normal pregnant women, 41 pregnant women with gestational hypertension, 40 pregnant women with mild PE and 51 pregnant women with severe PE. The expression of 25-OH-VD and miRNA-376c in peripheral blood were analyzed via reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR); the protein expression of 25-OH-VD was analyzed via western blotting, and the clinical significance of its expression was also analyzed. The expression of miRNA-376c in peripheral blood in pregnant women was decreased (P<0.01), and the expression of 25-OH-VD in peripheral blood was significantly decreased (P<0.01); there was a significantly positive correlation between the expression of miRNA-376c and 25-OH-VD (P<0.01). There was a significantly positive correlation between miRNA-376c and the protein expression of 25-OH-VD in placental tissues (P<0.01). The downregulation of miRNA-376c expression in peripheral blood and placental tissues in pregnant women had significantly positive correlations with gestational age, plasma albumin level and fetal weight, but had significantly negative correlations with blood pressure and urinary protein level. (P<0.01). The downregulation of 25-OH-VD expression in placental tissues also had such correlations. The low expression of miRNA-376c in PE patients is involved in the occurrence and development of PE through downregulating the expression of 25-OH-VD.