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CASE REPORT article

Front. Med.
Sec. Infectious Diseases: Pathogenesis and Therapy
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1422588
This article is part of the Research Topic Emerging SARS-COV-2 Variants: Genomic Variations, Transmission, Pathogenesis, Clinical Impact and Interventions, Volume III View all 24 articles

Case Report: Cytokine and miRNA Profiling in Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)

Provisionally accepted
Yun-Hao Tsai Yun-Hao Tsai 1Jun-Jie Hong Jun-Jie Hong 2Chao-Min Cheng Chao-Min Cheng 3Mei-Hsiu Cheng Mei-Hsiu Cheng 2Cheng-Han Chen Cheng-Han Chen 3Min-Ling Hsieh Min-Ling Hsieh 4Kai-Sheng Hsieh Kai-Sheng Hsieh 5*Ching-Fen Shen Ching-Fen Shen 4*
  • 1 School of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
  • 2 Taiwan Business Development Department, Inti Taiwan, Inc.,, Hsinchu, Taiwan
  • 3 Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County, Taiwan
  • 4 Department of Pediatrics, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
  • 5 Department of Pediatrics and Structural, Congenital Heart and Echocardiography Center, School of Medicine,, China Medical University (Taiwan), Taichung, Taiwan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is an imperative pediatric inflammatory condition closely linked to COVID-19, which garners substantial attention since the onset of the pandemic. Like Kawasaki illness, this condition is characterized by an overactive immune response, leading to symptoms including pyrexia, cardiac and renal complications. To elucidate the pathogenesis of MIS-C and identify potential biomarkers, we conducted an extensive examination of specific cytokines (IL-6, IL-1β, IL-6R, IL-10, and TNF-α) and microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles at various intervals (ranging from 3 to 20 days) in the peripheral blood sample of a severely affected MIS-C patient. Our investigation revealed a gradual decline in circulating levels of IL-6, IL-1β, IL-10, and TNF-α following intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) therapy. Notably, IL-6 exhibited a significant reduction from 74.30 pg/ml to 1.49 pg/ml, while IL-6R levels remained consistently stable throughout the disease course. Furthermore, we observed an inverse correlation between the expression of hsa-miR-596 and hsa-miR-224-5p and the aforementioned cytokines. Our findings underscore a robust association between blood cytokine and miRNA concentrations and the severity of MIS-C. These insights enhance our understanding of the genetic regulatory mechanisms implicated in MIS-C pathogenesis, offering potential avenues for early biomarker detection and therapy monitoring through miRNA analysis.

    Keywords: MIS-C, COVID-19, Cytokines, miRNA, IL-6, IL-1β, case report

    Received: 24 Apr 2024; Accepted: 15 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Tsai, Hong, Cheng, Cheng, Chen, Hsieh, Hsieh and Shen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Kai-Sheng Hsieh, Department of Pediatrics and Structural, Congenital Heart and Echocardiography Center, School of Medicine,, China Medical University (Taiwan), Taichung, 40402, Taiwan
    Ching-Fen Shen, Department of Pediatrics, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan

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