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

Mona A Eldosoky; Reham Hammad; Areej Rushdi; Hanan F Ibrahim; Amany M Tawfeik; Ahmed Mora; Sarah F Fahmy; Hossam El-Ashmawy; Elham Ali; Dina H Hamed; Amena Rezk Mohammed; Alya Mashaal; Hanan Mohsen

doi:10.2147/JAA.S398494

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

J Asthma Allergy. 2023 Jan 20:16:107-121. doi: 10.2147/JAA.S398494. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
² Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
³ Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Badr University in Cairo (BUC), Cairo, Egypt.
⁴ Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science (for Boys), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁵ Clinical Pharmacy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁶ Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Boys), Al-Azhar University, Assuit, Egypt.
⁷ Molecular Biology, Zoology and Entomology Department, Faculty of Science (For Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁸ Pediatric Department, Pediatric Allergy and Pulmonology Unit, Children's Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁹ Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine (for Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
¹⁰ Immunology, Zoology and Entomology Department, Faculty of Science (For Girls), Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

Background: 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; asthma classifications; childhood asthma; miR-146a-5p; miR-210-3p.