Correlation between single-nucleotide polymorphisms at the rs3745453 locus of the miR-23a gene and sudden sensorineural hearing loss in the Han population

This study aimed to explore the correlation between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of miR-23a (rs3745453) and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) in the Chinese Han population.
This case-control study enrolled 160 adult SSNHL patients and 160 age-matched healthy controls between January 2023 and December 2024. miR-23a expression was quantified via RT-qPCR, with diagnostic performance assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Polymerase chain reaction and ligase detection reaction (PCR-LDR) were employed to genotype the rs3745453 polymorphisms. Clinical characteristics and genotype distributions were systematically compared, followed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression to evaluate rs3745453’s correlation with SSNHL susceptibility.
SSNHL patients exhibited significantly reduced miR-23a levels vs controls (p < 0.001), with ROC analysis confirming strong diagnostic capacity (AUC = 0.8885, sensitivity = 86.25%, specificity = 80%, 95%CI = 0.8523- 0.9248, p < 0.001). rs3745453 GG/GA variants showed intergroup distribution differences (p < 0.05), whereas AA genotypes showed no intergroup divergence. G allele frequency was elevated in patients (p < 0.001), with no A allele variation. miR-23a expression did not differ between AG/GG and AA genotypes in controls. In patients, AG/GG carriers displayed lower miR-23a than AA subgroups (p < 0.05). Univariate and multivariate analysis identified miR-23a downregulation and rs3745453 AG+GG as independent SSNHL determinants (all p < 0.05).
These findings suggest that miR-23a expression levels may serve as an independent diagnostic biomarker for SSNHL, while the miR-23a expression and rs3745453 polymorphism are associated with increased susceptibility to adult-onset SSNHL.