Effects of Serum miR-21-5p and miR-34a-5p Expression on Intestinal Flora,Inflammatory Factors and Thyroid Function in Patients with Hashimoto Thyroiditis
XIONG Huili
ZHANG Zhen'an
ZHAO Xiaohong
WANG Jiadan
JING Huan
Abstract：Objective To investigate the effects of serum miR-21-5p and miR-34a-5p expression on intestinal flora,inflammatory factors and thyroid function in patients with hashimoto thyroiditis(HT).Methods A total of 114 HT pa-tients(HT group)and 114 healthy volunteers(control group)admitted to author's hospital from June 2021 to June 2024 were enrolled.Serum expression of miR-21-5p and miR-34a-5p,levels of inflammatory factors and thyroid function of the patients were detected in both groups,Alpha diversity index and phylum level relative abundance of intestinal flora were analyzed by 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing.The correlations of serum miR-21-5p and miR-34a-5p expression with Alpha diversity indexes of intestinal flora,their relative abundances at the phylum level,inflammatory factors and thyroid function indexes were analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient.Results In the HT group,serum expression of miR-21-5 p and miR-34a-5p,relative abundances of intestinal flora including Firmicutes,Proteobacteria,Actinobacteria,Fuso-bacteria and Verrucomicrobia,as well as serum levels of interferon gamma(IFN-γ),interleukin 6(IL-6),IL-12,tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)and thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH)were all higher than those in the control group(all P＜0.05).The Chao 1 index and Shannon index of intestinal flora,relative abundance of Bacteroidetes,and serum levels of free triiodothyronine(FT3)and free thyroxine(FT4)in the HT group were lower than those in the control group(all P＜0.05).Correlation analysis showed that serum expression of miR-21-5p and miR-34a-5p in HT patients were negatively correlated with Chao 1 index,Shannon index,relative abundance of Bacteroidetes,ser-um levels of FT3 and FT4(all P＜0.05),while positively correlated with relative abundances of Firmicutes,Pro-teobacteria,Actinobacteria,Fusobacteria and Verrucomi-crobia,as well as serum levels of IFN-γ,IL-6,IL-12,TNF-α and TSH(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Serum miR-21-5p and miR-34a-5p expression are significantly upregulated in HT patients,and are associated with reduced intestinal flora diversity,dysbiosis,aggravated inflammatory response and thyroid dysfunction.
Keywords：Hashimoto thyroiditisIntestinal floraInflammatory factorThyroid functionmiR-21-5pmiR-34a-5p
Publication Date：2025-11-28
Online Publishing Date：2026-01-14(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 965-971 )