Exosomal microRNA signatures in the crossroads of periodontitis and HNSCC
- 1Clinical Genetics Lab, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Research, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, SIMATS, Saveetha University
Abstract
Introduction: Inflammatory pathways are considered the crossroads of oral cancer and periodontitis. Exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key regulators linking inflammation and carcinogenesis. Aim: This study aimed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs associated with periodontitis (PD) and evaluate their relevance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) using a bioinformatics approach. Materials and methods: miRNA expression data from the GSE89081 dataset (n=10) were analyzed using GEO2R with an adjusted p-value of <0.05. Selected miRNAs were validated in the TCGA-HNSCC dataset via UALCAN, followed by survival analysis. Exosomal localization and target gene prediction were performed using ExoCarta and TargetScan. Results: Among the 25 microRNAs curated from the dataset based on statistical significance, five were significantly expressed in HNSCC and had a notable impact on patient survival. A set of differentially expressed miRNAs was identified, among which hsa-miR-193b-5p and hsa-miR-877-5p were consistently upregulated in both PD and HNSCC datasets. Higher expression levels of these miRNAs were associated with reduced overall survival. Conclusions: The microRNAs, hsa-miR-193b-5p, and hsa-miR-877-5p were significantly upregulated in both datasets. Also, overexpression of these microRNAs was associated with reduced overall survival in patients with HNSCC. Furthermore, low expression of the target transcript of hsa-miR-193b-5p, FLI1, was associated with poor survival in HNSCC patients. These findings suggest a potential role in inflammation-associated carcinogenesis; however, due to the small sample size and in silico design, further experimental validation is warranted.
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BibTeX
@article{pandi2026exosomal,
title = {{Exosomal microRNA signatures in the crossroads of periodontitis and HNSCC}},
author = {Anitha Pandi and Vijayashree Priyadharsini J},
journal = {Folia Medica},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3897/folmed.68.e181146},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3897/folmed.68.e181146},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Exosomal microRNA signatures in the crossroads of periodontitis and HNSCC
AU - Anitha Pandi
AU - Vijayashree Priyadharsini J
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Folia Medica
DO - 10.3897/folmed.68.e181146
UR - https://doi.org/10.3897/folmed.68.e181146
AB - Introduction: Inflammatory pathways are considered the crossroads of oral cancer and periodontitis. Exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key regulators linking inflammation and carcinogenesis. Aim: This study aimed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs associated with periodontitis (PD) and evaluate their relevance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) using a bioinformatics approach. Materials and methods: miRNA expression data from the GSE89081 dataset (n=10) were analyzed using GEO2R with an adjusted p-value of <0.05. Selected miRNAs were validated in the TCGA-HNSCC dataset via UALCAN, followed by survival analysis. Exosomal localization and target gene prediction were performed using ExoCarta and TargetScan. Results: Among the 25 microRNAs curated from the dataset based on statistical significance, five were significantly expressed in HNSCC and had a notable impact on patient survival. A set of differentially expressed miRNAs was identified, among which hsa-miR-193b-5p and hsa-miR-877-5p were consistently upregulated in both PD and HNSCC datasets. Higher expression levels of these miRNAs were associated with reduced overall survival. Conclusions: The microRNAs, hsa-miR-193b-5p, and hsa-miR-877-5p were significantly upregulated in both datasets. Also, overexpression of these microRNAs was associated with reduced overall survival in patients with HNSCC. Furthermore, low expression of the target transcript of hsa-miR-193b-5p, FLI1, was associated with poor survival in HNSCC patients. These findings suggest a potential role in inflammation-associated carcinogenesis; however, due to the small sample size and in silico design, further experimental validation is warranted.
SN - 1314-2143
SN - 0204-8043
ER -