{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T13:07:44Z","timestamp":1788959264049,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788912000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Istanbul University","award":["TSA-2019-33570"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["TSA-2019-33570"]}]},{"award":["TSA-2019-33570"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["TSA-2019-33570"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03a5qrr21","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Int. J. Mol. Sci.","IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>To investigate microRNA-369-5p (miR-369-5p) and miR-671-3p expression in maternal peripheral blood leukocytes, plasma, and placental tissue in women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), compared with spontaneous conception. In this exploratory cohort study, microRNA-369-5p (miR-369-5p) and microRNA-671-3p (miR-671-3p) expression levels were analyzed using real-time quantitative PCR in maternal peripheral blood leukocytes, plasma, and placental tissue in four groups: (1) women with uncomplicated pregnancies conceived via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (non-ICP-ICSI, n = 7), (2) women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy conceived via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICP-ICSI, n = 7), (3) women with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy who conceived spontaneously (ICP-SC, n = 7), and (4) women with uncomplicated pregnancies conceived spontaneously (non-ICP-SC, n = 7). Relative expression levels were calculated using the RQ method. Leukocyte miR-369-5p expression was significantly upregulated in ICP-ICSI and non-ICP-ICSI groups compared with ICP-SC and non-ICP-SC groups (p = 0.0001). Plasma miR-671-3p expression levels were significantly decreased in ICSI groups compared with spontaneous conception groups (p = 0.029). No significant differences were observed in placental expression levels of miR-369-5p and miR-671-3p among the four groups (p &gt; 0.05). In subgroup analysis, leukocyte miR-369-5p and miR-671-3p expression levels were significantly higher in the ICP-ICSI group compared with the ICP-SC group (p &lt; 0.05). Serum fasting bile acid levels showed a significant positive correlation with placental miR-369-5p expression (r = 0.467; p = 0.012) and a negative correlation with plasma miR-369-5p expression (r = \u22120.413; p = 0.029). Our findings show compartment-specific differences in miR-369-5p and miR-671-3p expression across leukocytes and plasma in this exploratory cohort. These preliminary observations do not establish causality and require validation in larger, independent cohorts.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27188019","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T12:26:11Z","timestamp":1788956771000},"page":"8019","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Altered Maternal Circulating and Placental microRNA-369-5p and microRNA-671-3p Expression in Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy: Comparison of ICSI and Spontaneous Conception"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4267-2158","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sibel","family":"Bulgurcuoglu Kuran","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, IVF Unit, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, 34093 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Meryem","family":"Hocaoglu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Goztepe Prof Dr. Suleyman Yalcin City Hospital Affiliated to Istanbul Medeniyet University, 34722 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Selin","family":"Demirer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Genetics, Aziz Sancar Institute of Experimental Medicine, Istanbul University, 34093 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2651-0538","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Esra","family":"Kaynak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Genetics, Aziz Sancar Institute of Experimental Medicine, Istanbul University, 34093 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6968-4450","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ilayda","family":"Lo\u00e7lar Karaalp","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Goztepe Prof Dr. Suleyman Yalcin City Hospital Affiliated to Istanbul Medeniyet University, 34722 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elvan","family":"Yagimli Ozturk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Goztepe Prof Dr. Suleyman Yalcin City Hospital Affiliated to Istanbul Medeniyet University, 34722 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ayse","family":"Altun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, IVF Unit, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, 34093 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7724-6488","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ibrahim","family":"Sogut","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Demiroglu Bilim University, 34394 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Canan","family":"Hurdag","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Demiroglu Bilim University, 34394 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3156-2116","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Abdulkadir","family":"Turgut","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Goztepe Prof Dr. Suleyman Yalcin City Hospital Affiliated to Istanbul Medeniyet University, 34722 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1271-1208","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Evrim","family":"Komurcu Bayrak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Genetics, Aziz Sancar Institute of Experimental Medicine, Istanbul University, 34093 Istanbul, Turkey"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"12","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bpobgyn.2020.03.013","article-title":"Pregnancy-specific liver diseases","volume":"68","author":"Katarey","year":"2020","journal-title":"Best Pract. 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