Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
MiR 26a as a stage-dependent biomarker and therapeutic regulator of inflammation in knee osteoarthritis
Vijetha Gunamala, Rajeswary Hari, Department of Biotechnology, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai 600095, Tamil Nadu, India
Vijetha Gunamala, Department of Molecular Biology, Aura Biotechnologies Private Limited, Chennai 600095, Tamil Nadu, India
Naveen Jeyaraman, Madhan Jeyaraman, Department of Orthopaedics, ACS Medical College and Hospital, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Chennai 600077, Tamil Nadu, India
Naveen Jeyaraman, Arulkumar Nallakumarasamy, Sathish Muthu, Madhan Jeyaraman, De
Naveen Jeyaraman, Sathish Muthu, Madhan Jeyaraman, Department of Orthopaedics, Or
Arulkumar Nallakumarasamy, Department of Orthopaedics, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Karaikal 609602, Puducherry, India
Sathish Muthu, Central Research Laboratory, Meenakshi Medical College Hospital and Re
Author contributions: Gunamala V, Hari R, and Jeyaraman N contributed to conceptualization, acquiring clinical data and performing the data analysis; Nallakumarasamy A and Muthu S contributed to manuscript writing; Muthu S and Jeyaraman M helped in manuscript revision; Muthu S contributed to image acquisition; Jeyaraman M contributed to proofreading; Jeyaraman M contributed to administration; and all authors have agreed to the final version to be published and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
AI contribution statement: No artificial intelligence tools were used to write the manuscript. Grammary is a built-in software in our system used to correct grammar errors.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Lalithambigai Medical College and Hospital, No. ERI/SLMCH/2023/003.
Informed consent statement: Ethical approval for the study protocol was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee, and written informed consent was secured from all participants prior to enrollment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement-checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement-checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: All data is contained within the manuscript.
Corresponding author: Madhan Jeyaraman, MD, PhD, Researcher, Department of Orthopaedics, ACS Medical College and Hospital, Dr MGR Educational and Research Institute, Vela
Received: February 24, 2026
Revised: March 8, 2026
Accepted: May 26, 2026
Published online: July 18, 2026
Processing time: 142 Days and 17.2 Hours
Revised: March 8, 2026
Accepted: May 26, 2026
Published online: July 18, 2026
Processing time: 142 Days and 17.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: MiR 26a5, identified as a stage-specific biomarker for osteoarthritis of the knee (KOA), has its levels inversely correlated with the NF-κB, COX 2, MMP 13 and NOS2 expression. In contrast to lowly involved miR 26a2, miR 26a5 protects against inflammation-induced cartilage degradation. Its loss of function speeds up the disease process, highlighting its therapeutic potential and utility in measuring the level of KOA, despite small sample sizes and short-term studies.