截至目前，涉及肝细胞癌（HCC）发病机制的明确定义的microRNAs（miRNAs）配置文件仍然无法确定。因此，为早期治疗干预，需要使用与超级通路相关的miRNAs组进行HCV相关HCC诊断的评估。该研究纳入了97例HCV相关HCC患者，84例肝炎C病毒（HCV）感染者，97例肝硬化（LC）患者和84名健康个体。采用qRT-PCR实验定量测定了血清miRNA-23a，miRNA-203，miRNA-100-5p和miRNA-16的水平，通过标准技术估计AFP和常规LFT。进行了通路富集分析和miRNAs调控网络的构建。与健康个体相比，miRNA-203，miRNA-100-5p和miRNA-16在HCC，HCV和LC组中显著下调，而miRNA-23a显着上调（p < 0.001）。miRNAs与AFP，ALT，AST和白蛋白呈显著相关性。同时，在多数焦点病变和/或病变大小 > 5cm的患者中发现miRNA-23a水平升高。此外，选择性截断值为3.99的miRNA-23a表达水平的诊断性能超过AFP，而miR-203，miRNA-100-5p和miRNA-16的表达则表示出不良的诊断结果。鉴于HCC的个体变异性和高度异质性，我们的数据揭示了miRNA-23a表达在HCV相关HCC患者中的诊断价值。进一步需要基于体外的HCC特异性microRNAs组进行诊断。© 2023.科学研究与技术学院。

Up to date, a well-defined microRNAs (miRNAs) profile involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) pathogenesis remains indecisive. Thus, employing miRNAs for HCC diagnosis is demanded for early therapeutic interventions. We aimed to evaluate the usage of miRNAs set related to the SuperPath: miRNAs involved in DNA damage response pathway as effective biomarkers for HCV-related HCC diagnosis.The study enrolled 97 patients with HCV-related HCC, 84 with hepatitis C virus (HCV), 97 with liver cirrhosis (LC), and 84 healthy individuals. Serum miRNA-23a, miRNA-203, miRNA-100-5p, and miRNA-16 were quantified using qRT-PCR experiments, AFP and routine LFTs were estimated via standard techniques. Pathway enrichment analysis along with the construction of miRNAs regulatory network were performed. With respect to healthy individuals, miRNA-203, miRNA-100-5p, and miRNA-16 were significantly downregulated in HCC, HCV, and LC groups, while miRNA-23a showed significant upregulation (p < 0.001). miRNAs exhibited significant correlations with AFP, ALT, AST, and albumin. Also, elevated levels of miRNA-23a were recognized in patients with multiple focal lesions and/or lesion size > 5 cm. Additionally, the diagnostic performance of miRNA-23a expression level at a selected cut-off value of 3.99 overtakes AFP, while expressions of miR-203, miRNA-100-5p, and miRNA-16 represent poor diagnostic outcomes.Keeping in mind the individual variability and high level of heterogeneity in HCC, our data revealed the diagnostic value of miRNA-23a expression in HCV-related HCC patients. Further extra in silico HCC-specific microRNAs sets are demanded in diagnosis.© 2023. Academy of Scientific Research and Technology.