Here, we determined the serum and hepatic content of miR-21 in patients with liver cirrhosis and rats with dimethylnitrosamine-induced hepatic cirrhosis and examined the effects of miR-21 on SPRY2 and HNF4α in modulating ERK1 signaling in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of hepatocytes.
SPRY1 expression was also found to be significantly up-regulated in the cases without underlying cirrhosis compared with those with cirrhosis (log fold change of 0.35 and -0.02, respectively, P < 0.05), whereas SPRY2 expression was significantly lower in the cases with advanced HCC (log fold change of -0.12 and -0.52 in early and advanced stages, respectively, P < 0.05) and in those with angiolymphatic invasion (log fold change of -0.47 and -0.16 in the presence and absence thereof, P < 0.05).