Expression Patterns of miR-19 in Diffuse Gliomas Among Mexican Patients

Introduction: Diffuse gliomas (DG), including high-grade glioblastomas, are aggressive brain tumors with low survival rates. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) such as miR-19 are emerging as significant regulators in cancer biology and may serve as biomarkers or therapeutic targets in gliomas. This study evaluates the clinical relevance of miR-19 expression in diffuse gliomas among a sample of Mexican patients.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, case-control study on miR-19 expression levels in tissue and serum from 13 glioma patients and 2 non-tumor controls. Histopathological assessment was performed, followed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. The sample’s mean age was 55 years (SD = 9.3), with a female-to-male ratio of 1.14. Expression levels were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests to compare groups, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05.

Results: Glioblastomas constituted 84.6% of cases. Median miR-19 expression levels in tumor tissue were 2.8-fold higher than in non-tumor brain tissue, though not statistically significant (U = 8.5, p = 0.18). No significant differences in miR-19 levels were observed across tumor grades (H = 2.17, p = 0.34). Correlation analysis between miR-19 levels in tumor tissue and serum was weak (Spearman’s ρ = 0.12, p = 0.65), suggesting limited reliability of serum miR-19 as a non-invasive biomarker.

Conclusion : This study found elevated miR-19 expression in glioma tissues, though statistical significance was not achieved, possibly due to the small sample size. These findings emphasize the need for larger studies to validate miR-19’s utility as a diagnostic biomarker in glioma and to assess its potential as a therapeutic target. Further exploration in the Mexican population could improve tailored glioma management approaches.