Researchers have mapped an exploratory pattern of circulating microRNAs in the blood of people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), a form of the disease marked by gradual neurological worsening from onset and a shortage of reliable biomarkers. In a case-control study, plasma from 20 newly diagnosed, treatment-naïve patients and 25 healthy controls with broadly comparable age and sex distributions was screened for 84 neurologically relevant microRNAs using high-throughput real-time quantitative PCR on the BioMark HD platform.
Twenty-six microRNAs showed nominal differences between the two groups, and 24 of these remained significant after Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate correction at q < 0.05. The largest decreases involved let-7b-5p, miR-26b-5p, miR-20a-5p and miR-15b-5p, while miR-191-5p, miR-320a-3p, miR-146a-5p and miR-342-3p ranked among the most elevated candidates. Expression data were normalized with the global mean method, and differential expression was evaluated in a candidate-discovery framework.
To move beyond a simple list of altered molecules, the team ran in silico enrichment analyses on experimentally supported target genes. This integrated analysis associated the biologically prioritized target set with microRNA biogenesis, stress-responsive signaling, inflammatory pathways, hypoxia and angiogenesis, and cell-cycle regulation — a combination consistent with the chronic neurodegenerative character of PPMS.
The authors emphasize that the findings define an exploratory plasma microRNA pattern in treatment-naïve PPMS and provide a biologically coherent shortlist for independent validation. Because the study was small and cross-sectional, larger and longitudinal studies are required before any diagnostic or mechanistic conclusions can be drawn. The treatment-naïve design, however, means the observed circulating microRNA profile is unlikely to be confounded by disease-modifying therapy.
Circulating microRNAs have attracted growing interest as candidate regulators and biomarkers in neuroinflammatory disorders, but PPMS-specific plasma data — particularly from untreated patients — have remained limited. By profiling a defined panel of neurologically relevant microRNAs in a homogeneous, newly diagnosed cohort, the study adds one of the first PPMS-focused datasets of its kind.
The work, published as an original article in Molecular Biology Reports, positions the 24 corrected-significant microRNAs as candidates for follow-up studies that could test whether the signature holds in independent cohorts and whether it tracks disease course over time. Until such validation is complete, the results should be read as hypothesis-generating rather than as a diagnostic test.
Subject of Research: Plasma microRNA profiling in treatment-naïve primary progressive multiple sclerosis
Article Title: Plasma microRNA dysregulation in treatment-naïve primary progressive multiple sclerosis: an exploratory case-control study
Article References: Derici Eker, E., Sezen, S., Altıntaş, Z., Ünal, N., Şahin, N. Ö., & Sevim, S. (2026). Plasma microRNA dysregulation in treatment-naïve primary progressive multiple sclerosis: an exploratory case-control study. Molecular Biology Reports, 53(1), Article 1804. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-026-12987-1
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1007/s11033-026-12987-1
Keywords: primary progressive multiple sclerosis, microRNA, biomarkers, case-control study, plasma, gene expression, neuroinflammation, qPCR, molecular biology, exploratory study, dysregulation, treatment-na
News Source: Drew Townsend. (October 29, 2026). Plasma microRNA signature identified in treatment-naïve primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Scienmag.
