A recent study led by André A. Santos, a researcher at iMed. ULisboa – Institute for Drug Research at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Universidade de Lisboa, part of Cecília M. P. Rodrigues’ research group, has identified a new serological marker associated with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC), a rare liver disease often associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
The study reveals that microRNA-21 (miR-21), present at higher levels in the serum and faeces of patients with PBC, plays an important role in modulating the inflammatory immune response.
The results reveal that miR-21 has the ability to alter the pro-inflammatory and potentially pro-oncogenic response in the intestines of patients with SCD who also have IBD. This mechanism may help explain why IBD associated with SCD has a distinct phenotype from classic forms of the disease and a greater propensity to progress to colorectal cancer.
From a scientific point of view, the study contributes to a better understanding of the mechanisms linking intestinal inflammation, microbiota dysbiosis and oncological risk in CEP-IBD, identifying yet another molecular modulator.
Although research is still focused on understanding the disease, the authors point out that, in the future, reducing circulating levels of miR-21 may have an impact on the inflammatory response in these patients, paving the way for new therapeutic approaches.
This work received instrumental support from funding provided by GEDII – Grupo de Estudo da Doença Inflamatória Intestinal and EASL – European Association for the Study of the Liver, reinforcing the importance of national and international scientific collaboration in advancing knowledge and improving the diagnosis and treatment of liver and intestinal diseases.
The article was published in the scientific journal Experimental and Molecular Pathology and can be found at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0014480025000632.
