Identification of pathogenesis-related microrna profiles in skeletal fluorosis

Skeletal fluorosis is a chronic metabolic bone disease with adverse effects on human health. However, its pathogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we carried out a high-throughput profiling of human serum by using a miRNA array to primarily explore the role of miRNAs in skeletal fluorosis. The results showed the expression levels of 31 and 85 miRNAs were differentially regulated between the case group versus (i) a control group and (ii) a high-fluoride group, respectively. Three miRNAs (miR-200c3p, miR-3185, and miR-1231) were successfully identified by PCR. Bioinformatic analyses revealed that the target genes of the differentiated miRNAs were highly enriched in genes promoting transcription. Pathway analysis of miRNAs by KEGG revealed the MAPK signaling pathway, pathways in cancer, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, proteoglycans in cancer, and the endocytosis pathway to be regulated by the differentially expressed miRNAs. miR-200c-3p and miR-1231 were closely associated with skeletal fluorosis. Thus, this study is the first to identify the miRNA profile of skeletal fluorosis in the population. The unique miRNA expression data obtained in this study provide a new insight into the molecular mechanisms and biomarkers of skeletal fluorosis.