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The basic features of the 17 articles included in this analysis are shown in Table 1. The experimental groups were treated with different forms of arsenic, including sodium arsenite (NaAsO2) and arsenic trioxide (As2O3). The control groups were blank controls without arsenic exposure. In the subgroup analysis, the arsenic exposure duration differed, so the exposure duration was divided into two groups: ≤ 24 h (n = 13) and > 24 h (n = 4). The arsenic exposure dose also differed and was divided into two groups: ≤ 5 µmol/L (n = 13) and > 5 μmol/L (n = 4). Outcome variables were apoptosis-related (colony number, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and Vimentin expression) and miRNA-21 related (miRNA-21, STAT3, pSTAT3, PDCD4, PTEN, and Spry1 expression). Three articles, Lu Xiaolin et al.[12], Pratheeshkumar et al.[14], and Luo Fei et al.[8], provided the most information. All three articles analyzed at least five indicators.
Table 1. Characteristics of the Studies Included in the Meta-analysis
Authors Year Language n Arsenic Type Arsenic Dose (μmol/L) Exposure Duration (h) Outcome Indicators Country Lu Xiaolin et al.[12] 2015 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1, 2, 3, 7, 9 China Ling Min et al.[13] 2012 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1, 4, 5, 6 China Pratheeshkumar et al.[6] 2016 English 3 As2O3 > 5 > 24 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 America Gu Jingyi et al.[9] 2011 English 3 As2O3 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1 China Luo Fei et al.[8] 2013 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 China Liu Xinlu et al.[4] 2016 English 3 NaAsO2 > 5 ≤ 24 1, 4, 5, 6 China Banerjee Nilanjana et al.[15] 2017 English 45 As2O3 ≤ 5 > 24 4, 5 India Xu Yuan et al.[16] 2015 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 2, 3, 5 China Luo Fei et al.[17] 2015 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1, 4, 7, 8, 9 China Li Yumin et al.[18] 2010 English 3 As2O3 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 4 China Zhao Yue et al.[19] 2013 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 > 24 1 China Zhao Xin et al.[20] 2015 English 6 As2O3 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1, 6 China Lu Shen et al.[21] 2013 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1, 6 China Cárdenas-González M et al.[10] 2016 English 27 As2O3 ≤ 5 > 24 1 Mexico Sun Jiaying et al.[7] 2014 English 3 As2O3 > 5 ≤ 24 1, 2, 3 China Chen Bailing et al.[22] 2013 English 3 As2O3 > 5 ≤ 24 1, 2, 3 China Li Yumin et al.[23] 2010 Chinese 3 As2O3 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 4 China He Qian et al.[34] 2013 English 3 As2O3 ≤ 5 > 24 1, 4, 5 China Lu Lu et al.[35] 2018 English 3 As2O3 > 5 > 24 1, 5 China Liu Haiwei et al.[36] 2018 English 3 As2O3 > 5 ≤ 24 1, 5 China Note. n, number within the experimental group; miRNA-21, an endogenous non-coding RNA; STAT3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; pSTAT3, phosphorylated signal transduction and activator of transcription 3; PDCD4, programmed cell death protein 4; PTEN, phosphatase and tensin homolog; Spry1, protein sprouty homolog 1; E-cadherin, a type of cell adhesion molecule; N-cadherin, a type of cell adhesion molecule; Vimentin, a type Ⅲ intermediate filament protein. 1, miRNA-21; 2, STAT3; 3, pSTAT3; 4, PDCD4; 5, PTEN; 6, Spry1; 7, E-cadherin; 8, N-cadherin; 9, Vimentin. -
The 17 articles included in this study were evaluated for quality, the low risk rate of bias was found to be more than 75%, the high risk rate of bias was found to be less than 10% (Figure 2).
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The colony numbers produced by cells of the arsenic exposed groups were 7.35-fold greater than those of the normal control groups (95% CI: 1.11, 13.59). The E-cadherin levels produced by cells exposed to arsenic were 25.74-fold lower than those produced by the normal control groups (95% CI: -50.44, -1.04). The level of Vimentin was 10.27-fold higher in cells exposed to arsenic than in the cells of the normal control groups (95% CI: -13.4, 15.95). The level of N-cadherin in the arsenic exposed groups was 20.27-fold lower than that in the normal control groups (95% CI: -51.16, 10.62), however, the effect of arsenic on N-cadherin was non-significant. (Figure 3). These results suggest that arsenic can down-regulate the expression of E-cadherin, and increase the number of cell colonies, potentially leading to the malignant proliferation of cells.
Figure 3. Effect of arsenic on malignant cell proliferation. SMD, standardized mean difference; E-cadherin, a type of cell adhesion molecule; N-cadherin, a type of cell adhesion molecule; Vimentin, a type Ⅲ intermediate filament (IF) protein. Arsenic can inhibit the expression of E-cadherin and N-cadherin, promote the expression of Vimentin, and cause malignant proliferation of cells.
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There was no significant difference in STAT3 expression in the arsenic exposure groups and normal control groups (P > 0.05) (Figure 4). However, in the meta-analysis of the association between arsenic and pSTAT3, pSTAT3 expression was higher in the arsenic treated groups that in the normal control groups (SMD = 4.80, 95% CI: -0.52, 10.12) (Figure 5), but the results also showed there was no significant difference in pSTAT3 expression in the arsenic exposure groups and normal control groups. However, arsenic had the tendency to activate pSTAT3 during the process of arsenic-induced malignant cell proliferation.
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The expression of miRNA-21 in the arsenic exposure groups was higher than that in normal control groups (SMD = 4.65, 95% CI: 2.50, 6.80) (Figure 6). The results show that arsenic can induce increased miRNA-21 expression in the cells. These results indicate that arsenic could cause the overexpression of miRNA-21 in the process of arsenic-induced malignant cell proliferation.
Figure 6. The Effect of ARSENIC on miRNA-21. Forest plot shows the effect of arsenic treatment on miRNA-21 expression in treatment and control groups. SMD, standardized mean difference; Ⅳ, independent variable; 95% CI, 95% confidence interval; SD, standard deviation. Arsenic can promote the expression of miRNA-21.
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The level of PDCD4 expression in the arsenic exposure group was 2.86-fold lower than that in the normal control group (95% CI: -6.23, 0.35). The level of PTEN expression in the arsenic exposure group was 2.20-fold lower than that of the normal control group (95% CI: -3.27, -1.56). The level of Spry1 expression in the arsenic exposure group was 5.26 fold-lower than that of the normal control group (95% CI: -9.03, -1.42) (Figure 7). These results show that arsenic can inhibit the expression of PDCD4, PTEN and Spry1, but there was a marginally significant in the expression of PDCD4 by arsenic.
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PDCD4, PTEN, and Spry1 may be miRNA-21 target genes[21, 24]. To determine whether arsenic can further alter the expression of PDCD4, PTEN, and Spry1 by regulating miRNA-21 expression, we used the arsenic treatment group as the control group, and arsenic combined with miRNA-21 inhibitor and arsenic combined with miRNA-21 mimic groups as experimental groups. This comparison was designed to observe the effect of arsenic on the expression of PDCD4, PTEN, and Spry1 following the addition of miRNA-21 inhibitor and miRNA-21 mimic. The results showed that treatment with arsenic alone could inhibit PDCD4 (SMD = -2.65, 95% CI: -5.95, 0.66), PTEN (SMD = -1.8, 95% CI: -2.57, -1.03), and Spry1 (SMD = -4.85, 95% CI: -8.46, -1.24) expression. After arsenic and miRNA-21 inhibitor treatment, the expression of PDCD4 (SMD = 7.63, 95% CI: 3.95, 11.31) was resumed, the expression of PTEN (SMD = 5.30, 95% CI: 0.06, 10.66) was marginally resumed, and Spry1 (SMD = 3.83, 95% CI: 5.46, 13.12) was not resumed. Arsenic and miRNA-21 mimic had no significant inhibitory effect on PDCD4 (SMD = 5.90, 95% CI: 12.16, 0.36) and PTEN (SMD = 3.58, 95% CI: 14.50, 7.33), but had significant inhibitory effect on Spry1 (SMD = 9.55, 95% CI: 17.86, 1.24) (Figure 8).
Figure 8. The effects of arsenic on PDCD4, PTEN, and Spry1. SMD, standardized mean difference; PDCD4, programmed cell death protein 4; PTEN, phosphatase and tensin homolog; Spry1, protein sprouty homolog 1; anti-miRNA-21, miRNA-21 inhibitor; miRNA-21 mimic, miRNA-21 agonist. Compared with arsenic group, anti-miRNA-21 could promote the expression of PDCD4, PTEN, and Spry1; miRNA-21-mimic could inhibit the expression of PDCD4, PTEN, and Spry1.
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To demonstrate the dose-response relationship between arsenic and miRNA-21, the spline model was used to quantitatively analyze the standardized mean difference in multiple studies. We analyzed some of the articles included in our study, and the basic information was shown in Table 2. The results showed that the mean difference between the different doses were 2.19 (95% CI: 1.27, 3.09) for 2 μmol/L, 3.42 (95% CI: 1.70, 5.06) for 4 μmol/L; 3.92 (95% CI: 1.82, 6.04) for 6 μmol/L; 3.67 (95% CI: 1.42, 5.92) for 8 μmol/L. The results showed that when the dose of arsenic was less than 6 μmol/L, the dose-response relationship between arsenic and miRNA-21 was positive. When the dose was more than 6 μmol/L, the mean difference did not increase with the dose (Figure 9). This result showed more clearly that the regulation of miRNA-21 expression by arsenic dose was bidirectional.
Table 2. Comprehensive Dose-response Data from Five Articles on miRNA-21 at Different Doses of Arsenic
ID Author Year Dose [Mean ± SD) μmol/L] 0 2 5 10 15 20 1 Pratheeshkumar et al.[6] 2016 10.30 ± 0.01 13.56 ± 0.14 15.43 ± 0.04 13.54 ± 0.02 - - 2 Liu Xinlu et al.[4] 2016 10.02 ± 0.12 15.32 ± 0.14 11.73 ± 0.11 10.42 ± 0.13 9.23 ± 0.16 - 3 Gu J (K562) et al.[9] 2011 10.34 ± 1.23 13.56 ± 2.43 16.34 ± 2.43 15.87 ± 2.13 14.32 ± 1.90 13.42 ± 1.63 4 Gu J (K562) et al.[9] 2011 11.00 ± 7.13 11.50 ± 7.01 15.80 ± 6.93 13.31 ± 7.32 11.67 ± 7.32 - 5 Sun J et al.[7] 2014 10.60 ± 5.32 11.30 ± 5.14 12.43 ± 5.43 11.43 ± 6.92 - - Note. Comprehensive dose-response data from five articles on miRNA-21 at different doses of arsenic. Dose, the dose of arsenic. Mean, the average expression of miRNA-21 under arsenic. SD, standard deviation of miRNA-21 expression under arsenic. -
Low-dose arsenic exposure (≤ 5 μmol/L) could increase the expression of miRNA-21 (SMD = 7.58, 95% CI: 2.80, 12.36; I2 = 72.0%), pSTAT3 (SMD = 9.06, 95% CI: 2.06, 16.06; I2 = 74.2%) and decrease the expression of Spry1 (SMD = -10.34, 95% CI: -16.08, -4.60; I2 = 34.3%), however, arsenic exposure in the low-dose group had no significant effect on the expression of PDCD4 (SMD = -6.94, 95% CI: -15.38, 1.49). High-dose arsenic exposure (> 5 μmol/L) increased the expression of miRNA-21 (SMD = 2.94, 95% CI: 0.38, 5.49; I2 = 16.0%) and decreased the expression of Spry1 (SMD = -1.93, 95% CI: -3.35, -0.52; I2 = 0.0%) and E-cadherin (SMD = -95.87, 95% CI: -162.32, -29.42; I2 = 0.0%) (Figure 10). These results show that pSTAT3 activation was more obvious at a low arsenic dose than at a high arsenic dose, and that the inhibitory effect of low-dose arsenic on Spry1 expression was more obvious than that of high-dose arsenic. However, high-dose arsenic had a stronger inhibitory effect on E-cadherin than did low-dose arsenic. Because the I2 values of miRNA-21 and pSTAT3 in the low dose group were larger, the heterogeneity probably came from the miRNA-21 and pSTAT3 in the low dose group.
Figure 10. Subgroup analysis of arsenic exposure dose. SMD, standardized mean difference. miRNA-21, An endogenous non-coding RNA; STAT3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; pSTAT3, phosphorylated signal transduction and activator of transcription 3; PDCD4, programmed cell death protein 4; PTEN, phosphatase and tensin homolog; Spry1, protein sprouty homolog 1; E-cadherin, a type of cell adhesion molecule. Arsenic can promote the expression of miRNA-21 under low or high dose exposure. The inhibitory effect of low dose of arsenic on PDCD4 and Spry1 was more obvious. The inhibitory effect of high dose arsenic on pSTAT3 and E-cadherin is more obvious.
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The results showed that when the arsenic exposure time was less than 24 h, the expression of miRNA-21 (SMD = 5.36, 95% CI: 1.88, 8.84; I2 = 64.0%), pSTAT3 (SMD = 13.93, 95% CI: 3.37, 24.50; I2 = 89.0%) increased, and the expression of PDCD4 (SMD = -4.43, 95% CI: -6.79, -2.06; I2 = 18.5%) decreased. When the arsenic exposure duration was more than 24 h, the expression of miRNA-21 (SMD = 13.93, 95% CI: 3.37, 24.50; I2 = 0.0%), STAT3 (SMD = 13.73, 95% CI: 4.08, 23.37; I2 = 0.0%), and pSTAT3 (SMD = 3.12, 95% CI: 0.43, 5.81; I2 = 0.0%) increased, but the expression of PDCD4 (SMD = -19.31, 95% CI: -85.88, 47.25; I2 = 91.1%) was non-significant. (Figure 11). The effect of arsenic on the activation of miRNA-21 and the inhibition of pSTAT3 was more obvious after the longer exposure duration than after the shorter exposure duration. Because the I2 values of miRNA-21 and pSTAT3 in the shorter exposure duration group were larger, the heterogeneity probably came from the miRNA-21 and pSTAT3 in the shorter exposure duration group.
Figure 11. Subgroup analysis of arsenic exposure time. SMD, standardized mean difference. miRNA-21, An endogenous non-coding RNA; STAT3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; pSTAT3, phosphorylated signal transduction and activator of transcription 3; PDCD4, programmed cell death protein 4. Prolonged arsenic exposure could promote the expression of miRNA-21 and STAT3 and inhibit the expression of pSTAT3 and PDCD4.
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The funnel plot shows that all the results of the study are symmetrically distributed, which indicates there is no publication bias (Figure 12).
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Taking the sensitivity analysis of arsenic and miRNA-21 as an example, we found that all results were located on both sides of the midline with no obvious deviation (Figure 13). These results show that the results of the research included in the literature are relatively stable, and that no individual results affect the overall results.
doi: 10.3967/bes2018.090
The Bidirectional Effects of Arsenic on miRNA-21: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
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Abstract:
Objective Arsenic is a metalloid environmental carcinogen involved in the occurrence and development of many cancers. miRNA-21 plays a crucial role in arsenic-induced carcinogenesis. We aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which miRNA-21 influences arsenic-induced cancer. Methods We used meta-analysis of published studies to determine how arsenic induces cancerous cells through miRNA-21. Results Low-dose arsenic exposure (≤ 5 μmol/L) can increase miRNA-21 and phosphorylated signal transducter and activator of transcription 3 (pSTAT3) expression, and decrease programmed cell death protein 4 (PDCD4) and protein sprouty homolog 1 (Spry1) expression. High-dose arsenic exposure (> 5 μmol/L), can increase miRNA-21 expression, and decrease Spry1 and E-cadherin expression. Short-term arsenic exposure (≤ 24 h) can increase miRNA-21 and pSTAT3 expression, and decrease PDCD4 expression. Moreover, long-term arsenic exposure (> 24 h) can increase the miRNA-21, STAT3, and pSTAT3 expression, and decrease PDCD4 expression. We found that activation of miRNA-21 and pSTAT3 were most pronounced following long-term arsenic exposure at low doses, and the effects on PDCD4 expression were most pronounced following short-term arsenic exposure at low doses. miRNA-21 inhibitors increased the expression of tumor suppressor genes PDCD4, PTEN, and Spry1 and miRNA-21-mimics suppressed the expression of these tumor suppressor genes. Conclusion Arsenic can cause cancer by activating miRNA-21 and inhibiting the expression of PDCD4, PTEN, and Spry1. -
Figure 3. Effect of arsenic on malignant cell proliferation. SMD, standardized mean difference; E-cadherin, a type of cell adhesion molecule; N-cadherin, a type of cell adhesion molecule; Vimentin, a type Ⅲ intermediate filament (IF) protein. Arsenic can inhibit the expression of E-cadherin and N-cadherin, promote the expression of Vimentin, and cause malignant proliferation of cells.
Figure 6. The Effect of ARSENIC on miRNA-21. Forest plot shows the effect of arsenic treatment on miRNA-21 expression in treatment and control groups. SMD, standardized mean difference; Ⅳ, independent variable; 95% CI, 95% confidence interval; SD, standard deviation. Arsenic can promote the expression of miRNA-21.
Figure 8. The effects of arsenic on PDCD4, PTEN, and Spry1. SMD, standardized mean difference; PDCD4, programmed cell death protein 4; PTEN, phosphatase and tensin homolog; Spry1, protein sprouty homolog 1; anti-miRNA-21, miRNA-21 inhibitor; miRNA-21 mimic, miRNA-21 agonist. Compared with arsenic group, anti-miRNA-21 could promote the expression of PDCD4, PTEN, and Spry1; miRNA-21-mimic could inhibit the expression of PDCD4, PTEN, and Spry1.
Figure 10. Subgroup analysis of arsenic exposure dose. SMD, standardized mean difference. miRNA-21, An endogenous non-coding RNA; STAT3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; pSTAT3, phosphorylated signal transduction and activator of transcription 3; PDCD4, programmed cell death protein 4; PTEN, phosphatase and tensin homolog; Spry1, protein sprouty homolog 1; E-cadherin, a type of cell adhesion molecule. Arsenic can promote the expression of miRNA-21 under low or high dose exposure. The inhibitory effect of low dose of arsenic on PDCD4 and Spry1 was more obvious. The inhibitory effect of high dose arsenic on pSTAT3 and E-cadherin is more obvious.
Figure 11. Subgroup analysis of arsenic exposure time. SMD, standardized mean difference. miRNA-21, An endogenous non-coding RNA; STAT3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; pSTAT3, phosphorylated signal transduction and activator of transcription 3; PDCD4, programmed cell death protein 4. Prolonged arsenic exposure could promote the expression of miRNA-21 and STAT3 and inhibit the expression of pSTAT3 and PDCD4.
Table 1. Characteristics of the Studies Included in the Meta-analysis
Authors Year Language n Arsenic Type Arsenic Dose (μmol/L) Exposure Duration (h) Outcome Indicators Country Lu Xiaolin et al.[12] 2015 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1, 2, 3, 7, 9 China Ling Min et al.[13] 2012 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1, 4, 5, 6 China Pratheeshkumar et al.[6] 2016 English 3 As2O3 > 5 > 24 1, 2, 3, 4, 7 America Gu Jingyi et al.[9] 2011 English 3 As2O3 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1 China Luo Fei et al.[8] 2013 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 China Liu Xinlu et al.[4] 2016 English 3 NaAsO2 > 5 ≤ 24 1, 4, 5, 6 China Banerjee Nilanjana et al.[15] 2017 English 45 As2O3 ≤ 5 > 24 4, 5 India Xu Yuan et al.[16] 2015 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 2, 3, 5 China Luo Fei et al.[17] 2015 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1, 4, 7, 8, 9 China Li Yumin et al.[18] 2010 English 3 As2O3 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 4 China Zhao Yue et al.[19] 2013 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 > 24 1 China Zhao Xin et al.[20] 2015 English 6 As2O3 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1, 6 China Lu Shen et al.[21] 2013 English 3 NaAsO2 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 1, 6 China Cárdenas-González M et al.[10] 2016 English 27 As2O3 ≤ 5 > 24 1 Mexico Sun Jiaying et al.[7] 2014 English 3 As2O3 > 5 ≤ 24 1, 2, 3 China Chen Bailing et al.[22] 2013 English 3 As2O3 > 5 ≤ 24 1, 2, 3 China Li Yumin et al.[23] 2010 Chinese 3 As2O3 ≤ 5 ≤ 24 4 China He Qian et al.[34] 2013 English 3 As2O3 ≤ 5 > 24 1, 4, 5 China Lu Lu et al.[35] 2018 English 3 As2O3 > 5 > 24 1, 5 China Liu Haiwei et al.[36] 2018 English 3 As2O3 > 5 ≤ 24 1, 5 China Note. n, number within the experimental group; miRNA-21, an endogenous non-coding RNA; STAT3, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; pSTAT3, phosphorylated signal transduction and activator of transcription 3; PDCD4, programmed cell death protein 4; PTEN, phosphatase and tensin homolog; Spry1, protein sprouty homolog 1; E-cadherin, a type of cell adhesion molecule; N-cadherin, a type of cell adhesion molecule; Vimentin, a type Ⅲ intermediate filament protein. 1, miRNA-21; 2, STAT3; 3, pSTAT3; 4, PDCD4; 5, PTEN; 6, Spry1; 7, E-cadherin; 8, N-cadherin; 9, Vimentin. Table 2. Comprehensive Dose-response Data from Five Articles on miRNA-21 at Different Doses of Arsenic
ID Author Year Dose [Mean ± SD) μmol/L] 0 2 5 10 15 20 1 Pratheeshkumar et al.[6] 2016 10.30 ± 0.01 13.56 ± 0.14 15.43 ± 0.04 13.54 ± 0.02 - - 2 Liu Xinlu et al.[4] 2016 10.02 ± 0.12 15.32 ± 0.14 11.73 ± 0.11 10.42 ± 0.13 9.23 ± 0.16 - 3 Gu J (K562) et al.[9] 2011 10.34 ± 1.23 13.56 ± 2.43 16.34 ± 2.43 15.87 ± 2.13 14.32 ± 1.90 13.42 ± 1.63 4 Gu J (K562) et al.[9] 2011 11.00 ± 7.13 11.50 ± 7.01 15.80 ± 6.93 13.31 ± 7.32 11.67 ± 7.32 - 5 Sun J et al.[7] 2014 10.60 ± 5.32 11.30 ± 5.14 12.43 ± 5.43 11.43 ± 6.92 - - Note. Comprehensive dose-response data from five articles on miRNA-21 at different doses of arsenic. Dose, the dose of arsenic. Mean, the average expression of miRNA-21 under arsenic. SD, standard deviation of miRNA-21 expression under arsenic. -
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