57 CORRELATION BETWEEN IRNAS AND REGULATION OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND STRESS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY IN FINANCIAL WORKERS
Authors: Chen Chi , Gao* Fang , Huang Peng 
Published: February 2025

Abstract

Background
The working environment in the finance industry is often accompanied by a high level of stress and competition, which increases the risk of mental illness. In this context, more and more studies have focused on the role of micro Ribonucleic Acids (miRNAs) in the regulation of mental illness and stress response. miRNAs are an important class of non-coding Rnas that influence cellular biological processes. Research in recent years has suggested that miRNAs may play an important role in the development of psychiatric disorders, particularly in response to psychological stress and inflammation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the correlation between mirna and the regulation, stress response and anti-inflammatory mechanism of mental illness in financial workers.

Methods
An observational cohort design was used to explore these relationships by recruiting financial industry workers and analyzing miRNAs expression levels, mental health status, and biomarkers. A total of 300 financial workers, including bankers, securities traders and insurance consultants, were selected. All participants were asked to fill in a mental health questionnaire, and were assessed by the self-rating Depression Scale and self-rating Anxiety scale. According to the mental health assessment results, the participants were divided into low-risk group, medium-risk group, and high-risk group. miRNAs expression levels in participants’ blood samples were analyzed using a real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique, focusing on miRNAs known to be associated with psychiatric disorders and stress responses. Analyzing C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in blood samples, and determining their concentration by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), To assess participants’ inflammatory status.

Results
The results showed that the expression level of miR-124 in high-risk group was significantly lower than that in low-risk group (P&lt;0.01). The expression of miR-132 was significantly down-regulated in the moderate and high risk groups, and was negatively correlated with the degree of depression and anxiety (P&lt;0.05). The expression level of miR-155 was increased in the high-risk group (P&lt;0.01), which was significantly correlated with the increase of inflammatory factors. The concentrations of CRP, TNF-α and IL-6 in the high-risk group were significantly higher than those in the low-risk group (P&lt;0.01), indicating a high correlation between high-risk psychological status and inflammatory status.

Discussion
The results of the study suggest that miRNAs may play a key role in the regulation of financial workers’ mental health status. In particular, downregulation of miR-124 and miR-132 is associated with an increase in depression and anxiety symptoms, while up-regulation of miR-155 is strongly associated with an increase in inflammatory factors. This suggests that miRNAs are not only involved in the regulation of psychiatric disorders, but may also regulate stress responses by influencing inflammatory responses.

Funding
No.2023KT24-01.