Diagnostic value of miR-193a-3p in Alzheimer's disease and miR-193a-3p attenuates amyloid-β induced neurotoxicity by targeting PTEN

Objective: Many microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to be aberrantly expressed in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. The present study aimed to explore the diagnostic value and neuroprotective role of miR-193a-3p in AD. Methods: 108 sporadic AD patients and 93 healthy controls were included. An A beta 25-35 insult cellular AD model of PC12 and SH-SY5Y was established. The relative expression levels of miR-193a-3p were calculated using qRT-PCR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to evaluate the usefulness of miR-193a-3p for detecting AD. Cell viability and apoptotic rates were calculated. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm the interaction between miR-193a-3p and PTEN. Results: miR-193a-3p expression was downregulated in both AD patients and the cellular AD model (all P < 0.001). Remarkable positive association was detected between serum miR-193a-3p level and MMSE score in AD patients (r = 0.5889, P < 0.0001). The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 89.8% and 77.4%, respectively, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.914. Overexpression of miR-193a-3p weakened A beta 25-35 induced cell viability inhibition, and reduced A beta 25-35 induced cell apoptosis in PC12 cells (all P < 0.01). Downregulation of miR-193a-3p intensified the effect of A beta 25-35 PTEN was proved to be the target gene of miR-193a-3p. Conclusion: MiR-193a-3p could be a novel biomarker for AD diagnosis, and may protect against neurotoxicity in AD by targeting PTEN.