In cohort 1 with normal liver tissues (
n = 21) and cirrhotic liver tissues (
n = 20), the expression of miR-541 was significantly decreased in the cirrhotic liver tissues compared with normal liver tissues (Fig.
1A). In cohort 2 with sera from 50 healthy controls, 34 patients with compensated cirrhosis, and 50 patients with decompensated cirrhosis, the expression of miR-541 was significantly decreased in the cirrhotic patients compared with the healthy controls (Fig.
S1). Moreover, serum miR-541 value was significantly decreased in patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis compared to compensated cirrhotic patients (Fig.
1B). Similarly, serum miR-541 levels significantly decreased with the upgrading of Child-Pugh class (Fig.
1C). In addition, high miR-541 levels were associated with better coagulation function, as shown by PT and INR (Fig.
1D, E). The serum miR-541 levels were also negatively correlated with the presence of ascites and HE when patients were included (Fig.
1F). Importantly, the lower expression of serum miR-541 was associated with shorter overall survival and decompensation-free survival (Fig.
1G, H). To further evaluate the independent prognostic value of miR-541 in liver cirrhosis, a univariate Cox’s regression analysis was performed firstly to determine the risk factors for liver-related death in cirrhotic patients, using several variables, including age, gender, etiology, PLT count, INR, PT, ALT, AST, ALP, γ-GT, albumin, TB, and serum miR-541 levels. The following multivariate analysis with the significant factors in univariate analysis, including age, TB, PT, INR, and serum miR-541 levels, indicated older age (HR = 2.873; 95% CI: 1.240–6.657;
P = 0.014) and lower serum miR-541 (HR = 0.394; 95% CI: 0.164–0.947;
P = 0.037) as independent risk factors for liver-related death (Table
1). Collectively, these results demonstrated that the downregulation of miR-541 is an important event in the progression of liver cirrhosis.