Aquaporin-4 and MicroRNA Expression in Meningiomas: A Tissue-Level Exploratory Analysis

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Keskin O., Özkara E., Erzurumluoğlu Gökalp E., Özbek Z., Yılmaz E., Canaz F., ...Daha Fazla

BIOMEDICINES, cilt.14, sa.1125, ss.1-11, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 14 Sayı: 1125
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3390/biomedicines14051125
  • Dergi Adı: BIOMEDICINES
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), BIOSIS, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-11
  • Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
  • Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Background: Meningiomas exhibit considerable biological heterogeneity that is not fully

captured by histopathological grading. Tissue-based molecular markers may provide

complementary insight into tumor biology within routine diagnostic settings. Methods:

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue samples from 65 intracranial meningiomas and

13 non-neoplastic controls were analyzed. Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) expression was assessed

using immunohistochemistry, while miR-216a, miR-320a, and LINC00461 levels were

quantified by means of RT-qPCR. Expression patterns were compared across groups and

evaluated in relation to histological grade. Results: AQP4 expression was significantly

reduced in meningiomas compared with controls and showed a further decrease in highergrade

tumors. Although expression of miR-216a and miR-320a was also lower in tumor

samples, these differences did not reach statistical significance. Correlation analysis revealed

modest but significant associations between AQP4 and miR-216a, as well as between

miR-216a and miR-320a. Individual markers demonstrated limited discriminatory performance;

however, combined expression patterns suggested underlying molecular variability

across tumor grades. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that AQP4 downregulation represents

a consistent feature in meningiomas, while associated microRNA alterations may

reflect coordinated but context-dependent expression patterns. Although these markers

are not sufficient as standalone diagnostic tools, their combined tissue-level assessment

may provide complementary information on tumor heterogeneity. These findings should

be interpreted as exploratory and highlight the need for further validation in larger and

mechanistic studies.