Serum mir-181a as a potential serological biomarker for metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: A cross sectional study

This study aimed to investigate the expression and clinical significance of serum microRNA-181a (miR-181a) in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). In this cross sectional study, we enrolled patients diagnosed with MAFLD and non-MAFLD individuals undergoing routine physical examinations as controls between January 2023 and December 2024. Serum miR-181a levels were quantified using real time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Serum miR-181a levels were significantly higher in the MAFLD group compared to those in the control group (1.15 ± 0.50 vs 0.79 ± 0.39, P < .001). MiR-181a expression is significantly associated with adverse metabolic parameters, liver injury, and fibrosis. Elevated miR-181a expression was identified as an independent risk factor for MAFLD (OR = 2.295, 95% CI: 1.318-6.236, P = .011). The optimal serum miR-181a cutoff value for diagnosing MAFLD was determined to be 0.90, resulting in an area under the curve of 0.80, with a sensitivity of 77.50% and a specificity of 76.67%. MiR-181a is significantly associated with the pathogenesis and progression of MAFLD and may serve as a promising serological biomarker for diagnosis.