25(OH)D status and expression of miR-140 in serum of patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip

Abstract Objectives Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is one of the most common orthopedic birth defects in newborns, for which early detection and treatment are critical. MiR-140 plays an important role in bone development, which was found to be regulated by vitamin D receptor (VDR) in our previous study. This study aimed to investigate vitamin D status and miR-140 expression in the circulation of patients with orthopedic conditions including DDH. Methods 25(OH)D status and miR-140 expression were determined in serum of 120 patients with orthopedic conditions. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the potential diagnosis capability of 25(OH)D status and miR-140 expression in DDH. A DDH rat model was also used to verify miR-140 expression in vivo. Results We found that most patients with orthopedic conditions have vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency, among which DDH patients are in the insufficiency range. MiR-140 was downregulated in DDH patients’ serum as well as in the hip joints of DDH rats. A panel of 25(OH)D and miR-140 showed robust performance in distinguishing DDH from controls. Conclusions Our results indicated that miR-140 may play an important role in DDH, with the potential capability of being a biomarker for the diagnosis of DDH.