Hexavalent chromium [Cr (Ⅵ)] has extensive applications in industries, and long-term occupational exposure to Cr (Ⅵ) may lead to lung carcinoma and other cancers. While microRNA (miRNA) can take part in carcinogenesis, little is known about its expression profile in the population with Cr (Ⅵ) exposure. Thus, this study aimed to explore miRNA expression profiles in Cr (Ⅵ) exposed workers and to identify the potential biological function of differentially expressed miRNAs. A total of 45 significant differentially expressed miRNAs were identified by the miRNA array. The results of validation showed that miR-19a-3p, miR-19b-3p, and miR-142-3p were downregulated and miR-590-3p and miR-941 were upregulated in the exposure group. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that age, exposure duration and urinary chromium level were associated with one or more miRNAs expression. Target gene analysis indicated that these miRNAs may participate in the regulation of DNA damage-related signaling pathways. Taken together, Cr (Ⅵ) exposure can result in differential expression of miRNAs in occupational workers, and the expression of these miRNAs correlated with the level and duration of Cr (Ⅵ) exposure, and the differentially expressed miRNAs may participate in DNA damage response.

六价铬[Cr（Ⅵ）]在工业中有广泛的应用，长期职业接触Cr（Ⅵ）可能会导致肺癌和其他癌症。尽管microRNA（miRNA）可以参与致癌作用，但对于其在Cr（Ⅵ）暴露人群中的表达情况知之甚少。因此，本研究旨在探讨在暴露于Cr（Ⅵ）的工人中的miRNA表达谱，并鉴定差异表达的miRNA的潜在生物学功能。通过miRNA阵列鉴定出总共45个显着差异表达的miRNA。验证结果表明，暴露组的miR-19a-3p，miR-19b-3p和miR-142-3p被下调，而miR-590-3p和miR-941被上调。多因素分析表明，年龄，暴露持续时间和尿铬水平与一种或多种miRNA表达相关。靶基因分析表明，这些miRNA可能参与DNA损伤相关信号通路的调控。总体而言，Cr（Ⅵ）暴露可导致miRNA在职业工人中的差异表达，并且这些miRNA的表达与Cr（Ⅵ）暴露的水平和持续时间相关，并且差异表达的miRNA可能参与DNA损伤反应。