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August 25, 2025Open Access

MicroRNAs as Diagnostic Biomarkers for Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Hepatitis B: Insights from Expression Profiling and Correlations with Fibrosis Stages

VYVentseslav Yordanov VSVictoria SpasovaMedical University of Sofia DSDiana Stefanova-PetrovaMedical University of Sofia

Key Points

Upregulation of miR-29a-3p correlates with severe liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B patients, demonstrating its potential as a diagnostic biomarker.
The study utilized transient elastography alongside quantitative PCR to assess miRNA levels in 40 patients with varying fibrosis stages.
Combining miR-29a-3p with miR-21-3p enhanced diagnostic accuracy, as indicated by an AUC of 0.89, providing a promising predictive model for fibrosis assessment.
Further research is necessary in larger cohorts to confirm the role of these microRNAs in monitoring fibrosis and liver disease progression.

Abstract

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection remains a significant global health challenge, leading to severe liver complications such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which makes accurate fibrosis assessment crucial for prognosis and treatment. This study investigated the expression levels of five miRNAs (hsa-miR-21-3p, hsa-miR-29a-3p, hsa-miR-122-3p, hsa-miR-221-3p, and hsa-miR-222-3p) in 40 CHB patients classified into mild-to-moderate (F1-F2) and severe fibrosis (F3-F4) groups using transient elastography. Quantitative PCR analysis revealed that hsa-miR-29a-3p (r=0. 72, p<0. 001), was upregulated, while hsa-miR-21-3p (r=-0. 65, p<0. 01) and hsa-miR-122-3p (r=-0. 68, p<0. 01, ) were downregulated in severe fibrosis. Combining hsa-miR-29a-3p (AUC=0. 89, 95% CI: 0. 84–0. 94) and hsa-miR-21-3p (AUC=0. 87, 95% CI: 0. 82–0. 93) in a predictive model improved diagnostic accuracy. These findings highlight the potential of miRNA profiling to enhance current diagnostic algorithms. Further studies in larger cohorts are needed to validate their role in fibrosis assessment and disease monitoring.

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