Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the expression of miR-let-7b in patients with anemia after bariatric surgery. Also, to investigate the correlation between miR-Let-7b expression and iron profile and copper serum levels.
Patients and Methods: This study included 50 participants from both sexes divided into 25 anemic subjects and 25 healthy individuals. All participants underwent entire history taking, thorough clinical examination, and laboratory investigations, including serum copper and iron measurements. Serum miR-let-7b expression was estimated by real-time polymerase chain reaction.
Results: There was a statistically significant increase in miR-let-7b expression in anemic patients after bariatric surgery compared to healthy individuals. Also, there were highly statistically significant negative correlations between miR-let-7b expression and each of serum iron (r=-0.883, P<0.001) and serum copper (r=-0.797, P<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve results for miR-let-7b expression demonstrated that at a cut-off> 1.22, the area under the curve (AUC) equals 1.0 (P <0.001), the sensitivity was 100%, the specificity was 98%, positive predictive value (PPV) was 96.6%, negative predictive value (NPV) was 100%, and accuracy was 98%.
Conclusions: Mir-let-7b upregulation is associated with iron and copper deficiency in anemic patients after bariatric surgery.