Zeynep Betül ÖZCAN, Mehmet Zahid ÇIRACI, Halime Hanim PENÇE, Fulya Senem KARAAHMETOĞLU, Sibel KURAŞ, Bekir ERDOĞAN, Emine Işıl ÜSTÜN, Meltem VURAL, Alev KURAL
Journal of Basic and Clinical Health Sciences - 2026;10(2):181-193
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of exercise on circulating microRNA expression and clinical outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Materials and Methods: This prospective non-randomized interventional study included 30 RA patients (18-60 years) and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The RA group completed an 8-week supervised exercise program consisting of stretching, strengthening, and walking exercises. Pain , disease activity, functional status, and health-related quality of life were evaluated before and after the intervention. Circulating levels of miRNA-145, miRNA-146a, miRNA-155, and miRNA-16 were measured using real-time PCR. Results: After the exercise program, significant improvements were observed in pain, functional status, disease activity, and health-related quality of life (p<0.05). Circulating miRNA analysis showed a trend toward reduced expression after exercise. miRNA-145 demonstrated the largest change between pre- and post-exercise measurements, but this difference did not remain statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. No significant changes were observed for miRNA-146a, miRNA-155, or miRNA-16. No correlations were found between clinical improvements and miRNA expression changes Conclusion: Exercise was associated with improvements in clinical outcomes in RA patients, while molecular changes in circulating miRNAs were modest and exploratory.
