Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Medical Biochemistry

Aims: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of many neurological disorders. The expression of two lncRNAs; lncRNA-H19 and lincRNA-p21 were investigated in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) to clarify their role in MS pathogenesis and their impact on clinical course of the disease. Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 134 subjects; 74 patients with MS fulfilling the 2010 revised McDonald criteria and 60 healthy age- and sex- matched control. The clinical disability was evaluated using the expanded disability status scale (EDSS). Quantification of serum expression levels of the two studied lncRNAs was performed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results: LncRNA-H19 was found to be significantly down-regulated in serum samples from MS patients compared to control group (p-value= 0.024). It was significantly higher in male patients as compared to female patients (p-value= 0.008). LincRNA-P21 was found to be significantly down-regulated in serum samples from MS patients compared with the control group; (p= 0.020). Patients with EDSS {u2265} 5.5 had significantly higher expression level of lincRNA-P21 than those with EDSS=1-3 (p= 0.027).There was significantly higher expression level of lincRNA-P21 among patients who received cyclophosphamide (immunosuppressant) than those who received interferon (p= 0.005)

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