Plasma miR-125a and miR-125b in sepsis: Correlation with disease risk, inflammation, severity, and prognosis

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to explore the predictive value of microRNA (miR)-125a and miR-125b for sepsis risk, and their correlations with inflammation, disease severity, and 28-day mortality in sepsis patients. Methods: Totally, 150 sepsis patients and 150 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Plasma samples were separated from blood samples obtained from sepsis patients and HCs to detect miR-125a and miR-125b expressions by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Besides, the 28-day mortality of sepsis patients was assessed. MiR-125a and miR-125b expressions were elevated in sepsis patients compared with HCs, and further receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis displayed that miR-125a (area under the curve (AUC): 0.749, 95% CI: 0.695-0.803) and miR-125b (AUC: 0.839, 95% CI: 0.795-0.882) could predict sepsis risk. As for inflammation, no correlation of miR-125a with C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17, and IL-23 was observed in sepsis patients, while miR-125b was positively associated with CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17, and IL-23. Regarding disease severity, miR-125a and miR-125b were positively correlated with acute physiology and chronic health care evaluation II and sequential organ failure assessment score in sepsis patients. Besides, ROC curve analysis exhibited that miR-125a failed to predict 28-day mortality risk (AUC: 0.588, 95% CI: 0.491-0.685) in sepsis patients, while miR-125b had a potential value in predicting elevated 28-day mortality risk (AUC: 0.699, 95% CI: 0.603-0.795). Conclusion: Both miR-125a and miR-125b predict sepsis risk, while only miR-125b exhibits the potency for disease management and prognosis prediction in sepsis patients.