The expression profile evaluation of Mir-125b in tuberculosis and non-small cell lung cancer patients

Background and Aim: Worldwide, lung cancer, specifically nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), is one of the most preventable and common cancer types. Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global public health threat, and the most important infectious disease throughout history in the world. Having TB before lung cancer significantly correlates with mortality due to lung cancer. TB and lung cancer have similar symptoms, and TB has symptoms identical to malignancy, so sometimes its diagnosis is confused with lung cancer. The miRNAs are biological molecules that play critical regulatory roles in the physiological and pathological processes. In several research types, many miRNAs have been studied, which showed the alternation of expression in TB and NSCLC separately. In this research paper, the expression of mir-125b was examined, which is commonly altered in TB and NSCLC. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients with NSCLC, thirty patients with TB who were new cases, and thirty healthy individuals were contributed to this research. The expression pattern of mir-125b was evaluated and compared in TB and NSCLC patients with healthy controls, using the real-time polymerase chain reaction method. Results: As a result, the expression of mir-125b was lower in TB and NSCLC patients than in healthy controls. Conclusion: Therefore, mir-125b can be used as a prognostic biomarker in TB and NSCLC diseases. The expression pattern of mir-125b could be useful to follow-up on the biological pathways that have essential roles in these diseases.