Altered expression of miR-125a and dysregulated cytokines in systemic lupus erythematosus: Unveiling diagnostic and prognostic markers

Figure 1 The expression levels of microRNA-125a, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin 12 in systemic lupus erythematosus patients and normal subjects. This study examined the expression levels of microRNA-125a (miR-125a), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 12 (IL-12) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and normal subjects. A: The findings revealed that miR-125a expression was significantly lower in SLE patients compared to normal subjects; B: With the lowest levels observed in newly diagnosed patients; C: TNF-α expression was higher in SLE patients compared to normal subjects; D: Its levels were highest in newly diagnosed patients; E: Similarly, the expression of IL-12 was significantly elevated in SLE patients compared to normal subjects; F: It was highest in newly diagnosed patients. The Independent Samples t-test or Mann-Whitney U test were employed for comparing two groups, while one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-test or Kruskal-Wallis with Dunn-Bonferroni post-test were used for comparing more than two groups. The error bars represent means ± SD. Significance levels are denoted as ^bP < 0.01 and ^cP < 0.0001. HS: Humic subjects; PAT: Patients; UT: Under-treatment; ND: Newly diagnosed.