Association of Helicobacter pylori Infection and miR-155 and miR-146a Gene Polymorphism with Gastric Ulcer Patients

Ard, Ali S.; Alammar, Mahdi H.

doi:10.21608/ejmm.2025.407324.1800

Association of Helicobacter pylori Infection and miR-155 and miR-146a Gene Polymorphism with Gastric Ulcer Patients

Document Type : New and original researches in the field of Microbiology.

Authors

Ali S. Ard ¹
Mahdi H. Alammar ²

¹ Najaf Health Office

² Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Kufa, Najaf, Iraq

10.21608/ejmm.2025.407324.1800

Abstract

Background: Helicobacter pylori are a Gram-negative, urease-producing, spiral-shaped bacterium that infects more than half of the world’s population. It has been identified as a major risk factor for acute and chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, gastric cancer, and low-grade gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas. Objectives: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the importance of miRNA-21 and miRNA-106 as non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity for H. pylori associated gastric ulcer. Methodology: This study included 80 samples collected from patients diagnosed with H. pylori infection by specialist physicians based on gastrointestinal tract evaluations. The samples were divided into two groups: 40 patients with H. pylori infection, 40 control subjects (matched for age and sex).The samples were collected between February and September 2024 at the Digestive System Center, Al-Sadr Medical Hospital, Najaf Province. From each subject, 5 mL of blood was collected for H. pylori antibody (Ab) testing. Stool samples were obtained for H. pylori antigen (Ag) detection, miRNA-155 and miRNA-146a levels were measured using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Results: The expression level of miRNA-155 was significantly higher (P=0.0001) in H. pylori patients (fold change: 18.41 ± 4.02) compared to the control group (fold change: 1.02 ± 0.19). Similarly, miRNA-146a expression was significantly elevated (P=0.0001) in H. pylori patients (fold change: 6.57±1.59) versus controls (fold change: 1.03 ± 0.24). A ROC curve analysis demonstrated high diagnostic efficiency for miR-155, with: 100% sensitivity and specificity, AUC=95.5%, Cutoff value=7.1215. Conclusion: Both circulating miR-155 and miR-146a can serve as reliable biomarkers for H. pylori-associated gastric ulcer.

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