白癜风是一种由表皮黑素细胞功能障碍引起皮肤获得性色素脱失、白色色素斑和斑块的疾病。本研究旨在分析广义白癜风患者血液中微小RNA（miRNA）表达模式并预测其潜在靶点，评估差异表达miRNA的生物学功能。对所有参与者进行外周血采样，并使用实时定量聚合酶链反应（PCR）分析了89个已鉴定的miRNA的表达水平。结果显示，白癜风患者血浆中有6个MiRNAs的表达水平显著上调，有19个MiRNAs的表达水平下调。前三个上调的MiRNAs是hsa-miR-451a、hsa-miR-25-3p和hsa-miR-19a-3p，前三个下调的MiRNAs是hsa-miR-146a-5p、hsa-miR-940和hsa-miR-142-3p。此外，III型和IV型光型白癜风患者的MiRNA表达谱明显不同，III型光皮肤类型患者更容易发生黑色素瘤和癌症。虽然显示男性和女性患者间的MiRNA表达模式存在显著差异，但miR-let-7i-5p、miR-19a-3p、miR-25-3p和miR-451a普遍上调，miR-142-3p和miR-146a-5p则普遍下调。通过检查MiRNA表达模式和其预测靶点的联合作用，本研究可能揭示了差异表达MiRNAs在白癜风患者中的作用。版权所有：© 2023 Indian Journal of Dermatology。

Vitiligo is a disease characterized by acquired depigmentation, white macules, and patches on the skin due to the dysfunction of epidermal melanocytes. In this study, we attempt to profile the microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns and predict the potential targets, assessing the biological functions of differentially expressed miRNAs in the blood of generalized vitiligo patients. Peripheral blood samples were taken from all participants, and the expression levels of 89 identified miRNAs were analyzed with real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results indicated significant upregulation of six miRNAs and downregulation of 19 miRNAs in the plasma of vitiligo patients. The top three upregulated miRNAs were hsa-miR-451a, hsa-miR-25-3p, and hsa-miR-19a-3p, and the top three downregulated miRNAs were hsa-miR-146a-5p, hsa-miR-940, and hsa-miR-142-3p. Moreover, the miRNA expression profiles of patients with Type 3 and Type 4 phototypes were substantially different in such a way that the patients with Type 3 phototype would be more prone to the emergence of melanoma and cancer. While significant variations in the expression patterns of miRNAs in male and female vitiligo patients were demonstrated, miR-let-7i-5p, miR-19a-3p, miR-25-3p, and miR-451a were commonly upregulated, and miR-142-3p and miR-146a-5p were commonly repressed in both sexes. This study may shed light on the roles of differentially expressed miRNAs in vitiligo patients by examining the miRNA expression patterns and the combined effects of miRNA and their predicted targets.Copyright: © 2023 Indian Journal of Dermatology.