MicroRNA-146a-5p and microRNA‐210‐3p Correlate with T Regulatory Cells Frequency and Predict Asthma Severity in Egyptian Pediatric Population

Abstract

Mona A Eldosoky,1 Reham Hammad,1 Areej Rushdi,2 Hanan F Ibrahim,2 Amany M Tawfeik,3 Ahmed Mora,4 Sarah F Fahmy,5 Hossam El-Ashmawy,6 Elham Ali,7 Dina H Hamed,8 Amena Rezk Mohammed,9 Alya Mashaal,10 Hanan Mohsen8 1Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 2Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 3Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Badr University in Cairo (BUC), Cairo, Egypt; 4Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science (for Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 5Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; 6Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Boys), Al-Azhar University, Assuit, Egypt; 7Molecular Biology, Zoology and Entomology Department, Faculty of Science (For Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 8Pediatric Department, Pediatric Allergy and Pulmonology Unit, Children’s Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; 9Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt; 10Immunology, Zoology and Entomology Department, Faculty of Science (For Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, EgyptCorrespondence: Dina H Hamed, Email [email protected]: Severe bronchial asthma (BA) affects 5– 10% of children, which imposes socioeconomic burden. Therefore, it is crucial to identify biomarkers for risk stratification in children with BA. T regulatory cells (Tregs) play a balancing role in allergic response regulation. We aimed to investigate the relationship between Treg, miR-210-3p, and miR-146a-5p in relation to asthma phenotypes in search of novel biomarkers of disease severity.Methods: This study included 50 children with BA classified into Group 1 (n = 25) children with mild to moderate asthma and Group 2 (n = 25) children with severe asthma. In addition to 26 control subjects. Flow cytometry was used to detect Tregs. Plasma miR-210-3p and miR-146a levels were determined using quantitative real-time PCR. Patients’ FEV1 (Forced Expiratory Volume in the first second) was measured.Results: miR-210-3p level correlated negatively with Treg frequency (r = − 0.828, P < 0.001) and FEV1 (r = − 0.621, P < 0.001). The level of miR-146a-5p positively correlated positively with Treg% (r = 0.303, P = 0.032). ROC curve analysis revealed that miR-210-3p was the most sensitive biomarker of severity, with the area under curve (AUC) = 0.923, 96% sensitivity, and 60% specificity. According to multivariate analysis, miR-210-3p is an independent risk factor for BA severity [OR =3.119, P = 0.030], while miR-146a-5p is a protective factor [OR =0.811, P = 0.049].Conclusion: Treg frequency is linked to FEV1, miR-146a-5p and miR-210-3p in childhood BA. Upregulation of miR-210-3p is a sensitive biomarker and an independent risk factor for BA severity in Egyptian children.Keywords: T reg, miR-210-3p, miR-146a-5p, childhood asthma, asthma classifications

Keywords

• t reg
• mir-210-3p
• mir-146a-5p
• childhood asthma
• asthma classifications