Expression of Salivary miRNA-31 in Oral Submucous Fibrosis

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the salivary miRNA31 expression in controls and cases and associate miRNA31 levels with clinical parameters of oral submucous fibrosis.

Methods: This case control study was conducted in a hospital setup. A total of 50 individuals participated in the study with 25 subjects in group I (healthy individuals) and 25 subjects in group II 25 diagnosed cases of (oral submucous fibrosis). The sample size was calculated with open Epi version 3.01. A detailed assessment of clinical parameters of oral submucous fibrosis was made. Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from all study subjects meeting the inclusion criteria and analysis of saliva samples was done by qRTPCR.

Results: The results showed high expression levels of miRNA31 in oral submucous fibrosis as compared to the control group. The study demonstrated significantly higher median fold change of miRNA-31 expression level in OSMF patients as compared to the participants in the control group. Correlation between age of patients and miRNA31 fold change was discerned using the Spearman rank test that demonstrated a non-significant negative correlation.

Conclusion: Increased expression levels of miRNA 31 among oral submucous fibrosis as compared to the control group make it a promising salivary biomarker that detects oral submucous fibrosis at an early stage of the disease.