Abstract: Objective The aim of this study was to explore the implications of microRNA(miR)-183-5p and miR-96-5p level changes in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD). Methods 62 patients with NAFLD and 80 healthy individuals with matched gender and age and without history of excessive drinking were enrolled in our hospital between November 2019 and January 2022. Serum miR-183-5p and miR-96-5p levels were detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR, and the factors impacting the occurrence of severe NAFLD was analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression analysis. The diagnostic performance of miR-183-5p and miR-96-5p in predicting the severity of NAFLD was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves(AUC). Results The body mass index, HOMA-IR, fasting plasma glucose and blood fat levels in patients with NAFLD were significantly higher than in healthy persons (P＜0.05), while serum miR-183-5p and miR-96-5p levels were (0.8±0.2) and (1.2±0.3), much lower than [(1.4±0.4) and (2.3±0.6), respectively, P＜0.05] in healthy control; serum miR-183-5p and miR-96-5p levels in 17 patients with severe NAFLD were (0.4±0.1) and (0.8±0.2), significantly lower than [(0.8±0.2) and (1.2±0.3), respectively, P＜0.05] in 21 patients with moderate NAFLD or [(1.1±0.3) and (1.5±0.4), respectively, P＜0.05] in 24 patients with mild NAFLD; the multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that the BMI, HOMA-IR, FPG, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol as well as serum miR-183-5p and miR-96-5p levels were the independent risk factors for the existence of severe NAFLD(P＜0.05); the AUC was 0.821, with the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of 77.4%, 76.5% and 77.8% when the combination of serum miR-183-5p and miR-96-5p levels was applied to predict the severe NAFLD, much superior to anyone of the two parameters alone (with the AUC of 0.713 or 0.718, respectively, P＜0.05). Conclusion Serum miR-183-5p and miR-96-5p levels are down-regulated in patients with NAFLD, and the lowest the serum levels of them, the more severe of the NAFLD, which hints the more severe intrahepatic steatosis, and warrants further clinical investigation.

Key words: Nonalcoholic fatty liver diseases, MicroRNA-183-5p, MiR-96-5p, Diagnosis