AIM: To investigate the expression levels of serum miR-23a and miR-34a in patients with age-related macular degeneration(ARMD)and its relationship with the development of ARMD.

METHODS: Totally 102 patients with ARMD who were treated in our hospital from May 2015 to February 2018 were enrolled in the case group, and 70 healthy subjects in the same period were used as control group. The relative expression levels of miR-23a and miR-34a in serum were detected by RT-PCR, and the levels of serum tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)and nuclear factor kB(NF-kB)were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Analysis on the relationship of miR-23a, miR-34a expression levels with TNF-a, NF-kB in patients with ARMD and its diagnostic value for ARMD were taken.

RESULTS: The relative expression levels of serum miR-23a and miR-34a in the case group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.01). The relative expression levels of serum miR-23a and miR-34a in the advanced group were significantly higher than those in the middle and early stage(P<0.01). The relative expression levels of serum miR-23a and miR-34a in the middle term patients were significantly higher than those in the early stage(P<0.01). The serum levels of TNF- α and NF-κB in the case group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P<0.01). There was a significant positive correlation between serum miR-23a and TNF-α and NF-kB in the case group(r=0.798, 0.720, both P<0.01), and serum miR-34a was significantly positively correlated with TNF-α and NF-kB(r=0.814, 0.740, both P<0.01). The area under the ROC curve(AUC)of serum miR-23a and miR-34a for diagnosis of ARMD was 0.831 and 0.867, respectively.

CONCLUSION: The expression of miR-23a and miR-34a in serum of ARMD patients is up-regulated, which may be involved in the development and progression of ARMD by promoting inflammation and oxidative stress. Detection of serum miR-23a and miR-34a may be helpful for early diagnosis and prevention of ARMD.