Urine miR-21-5p as a potential biomarker for predicting effectiveness of tadalafil in benign prostatic hyperplasia

Abstract

Aim:

To investigate whether urine levels of miRNAs that regulate the function of endothelial cells are associated with effectiveness in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients treated with a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, tadalafil.

Patients & methods:

We measured urine levels of three miRNAs (miR-21-5p, miR-126-5p & miR-155-5p) in 55 BPH patients before and after tadalafil administration to understand its effectiveness.

Results:

Baseline urine miR-21-5p level was an independent predictor of response to tadalafil in multivariate regression analysis (odds ratio: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.10–0.77; p = 0.014). Receiver operator curve analysis revealed that baseline urine miR-21-5p could serve as a predictor of response (area under curve: 0.85; 95% CI: 0.75–0.95; p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Urine miR-21-5p could serve as a biomarker in predicting response of tadalafil for BPH.

Lay abstract

Tadalafil, a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, has a high potential for treating male lower urinary tract symptoms; however, there are few reports regarding which portion of the population is appropriate for treatment with tadalafil. This study showed that the baseline urine levels of miR-21-5p, an endothelium-associated miRNA, strongly correlates with response to tadalafil and have the potential to be a predictive biomarker of whether treatment with tadalafil is suitable.

Graphical abstract