Evaluation of serum miR‐216a and miR‐375 as biomarkers in dogs with acute pancreatitis

Abstract Background Serum microRNAs have emerged as biomarkers of various diseases. Overexpression of serum miR‐216a and miR‐375 occurs in dogs with experimentally induced acute pancreatitis (AP). Objectives To identify the possibility of using serum miR‐216a and miR‐375 as biomarkers for the diagnosis and evaluation of treatment response in dogs with naturally occurring AP. Animals Twenty‐one dogs with AP and 20 healthy dogs. Methods Cross‐sectional study. The relative expression of serum hsa‐miR‐216a‐5p, cfa‐miR‐216a, and cfa‐miR‐375 were analyzed using reverse transcription and real‐time PCR. Results A significant difference in the serum expression of cfa‐miR‐375 was found between dogs with AP (median [interquartile range] 3.59 [1.55‐24.52]‐fold) and healthy dogs (0.81 [0.54‐2.21]‐fold, P < .001), and no significant differences were observed in hsa‐miR‐216a‐5p and cfa‐miR‐216a (P > .05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of serum cfa‐miR‐375 for differentiating between AP dogs and healthy dogs was 0.84 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.71‐0.96). The expressions of hsa‐miR‐216a‐5p and cfa‐miR‐375 were positively correlated with the concentrations of serum C‐reactive protein (rs = .46, rs = .48, respectively), but not with the serum specific canine pancreatic lipase. The expression of cfa‐miR‐375 was significantly less after treatment in dogs with AP (P = .02). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Serum cfa‐miR‐375 could be a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and evaluation of treatment response of AP in dogs. In addition, miR‐216a and miR‐375 could be associated with inflammatory processes in dogs with AP.