Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
Department of Chest Disorders, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
Innate Immun. 2021 Jan;27(1):61-69. doi: 10.1177/1753425920901563. Epub 2020 Jan 27.
MicroRNA (miRNA)-21 and miRNA-155 are important regulators of gene expression of different immunological molecules. This study aimed to investigate the role of miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 as biomarkers in asthma by comparing their serum expression levels in asthmatic patients to those in healthy controls and correlating their levels with serum IL-4. The expression levels of miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 were evaluated by quantitative RT-PCR. Serum levels of IL-4 were determined using ELISA. Asthmatic patients showed significantly higher serum miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 expression levels compared to controls. A statistically significant positive correlation between the expression levels of miRNA-21 and IL-4 serum levels in asthmatic patients was detected. Nonetheless, no correlation was detected between miRNA-155 expression and each of IL-4 and miRNA-21. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that at a cut-off value of 1.37, the sensitivity of miRNA-21 as an asthma biomarker was 100% and the specificity was 95%. At a cut-off value of 1.96, the sensitivity of miRNA-155 as an asthma biomarker was 100% and the specificity was 100%. It can be concluded that miRNA-21 and miRNA-155 are potential non-invasive biomarkers in the diagnosis of eosinophilic asthma and its response to therapy.
微小 RNA（miRNA）-21 和 miRNA-155 是不同免疫分子基因表达的重要调节因子。本研究旨在通过比较哮喘患者与健康对照者血清中 miRNA-21 和 miRNA-155 的表达水平，并将其与血清 IL-4 进行相关性分析，探讨其作为哮喘生物标志物的作用。采用定量 RT-PCR 评估 miRNA-21 和 miRNA-155 的表达水平，采用 ELISA 测定血清中 IL-4 的水平。与对照组相比，哮喘患者血清中 miRNA-21 和 miRNA-155 的表达水平明显升高。在哮喘患者中，miRNA-21 的表达水平与血清 IL-4 水平之间存在统计学上显著的正相关关系。然而，miRNA-155 的表达与 IL-4 和 miRNA-21 之间均无相关性。受试者工作特征曲线分析显示，当 miRNA-21 的截断值为 1.37 时，作为哮喘生物标志物的敏感性为 100%，特异性为 95%。当 miRNA-155 的截断值为 1.96 时，作为哮喘生物标志物的敏感性为 100%，特异性为 100%。可以得出结论，miRNA-21 和 miRNA-155 是诊断嗜酸性粒细胞性哮喘及其对治疗反应的潜在非侵入性生物标志物。
