AUTHOR=Geng Feng , Liu Wei , Yu Li 

TITLE=MicroRNA-451a and Th1/Th2 ratio inform inflammation, septic organ injury, and mortality risk in sepsis patients

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.947139

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.947139

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Aims</title><p>MicroRNA-451a (miR-451a) regulates Th1/Th2 cell differentiation, inflammation, and septic organ injury in several experiments. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the inter-correlation of miR-451a with the Th1/Th2 ratio, and their association with inflammation, septic organ injury, and mortality risk in patients with sepsis.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Consecutively, 117 patients with sepsis and 50 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples were collected to detect miR-451a expression and the Th1/Th2 ratio in all subjects.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>MiR-451a (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), Th1 cells (<italic>p</italic> = 0.014), and the Th1/Th2 ratio (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) increased, while Th2 cells (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) declined in patients with sepsis compared with HCs. It was of note that miR-451a was positively correlated with Th1 cells (<italic>p</italic> = 0.002) and the Th1/Th2 ratio (<italic>p</italic> = 0.001), while it was negatively related to Th2 cells (<italic>p</italic> = 0.005) in patients with sepsis. Meanwhile, miR-451a and the Th1/Th2 ratio correlated with most of the following indexes: TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, C-reactive protein, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, or Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score (most <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). Moreover, miR-451a (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) and the Th1/Th2 ratio (<italic>p</italic> = 0.001) increased in deaths compared to survivors of sepsis; further ROC curve showed both miR-451a and the Th1/Th2 ratio possessed a certain value to predict mortality of patients with sepsis. Additionally, the Th1/Th2 ratio [odds ratio (OR): 2.052, <italic>p</italic> = 0.005] was independently related to 28-day mortality risk from multivariate logistic regression.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>MiR-451a correlates with the Th1/Th2 ratio, and they both relate to inflammation, septic organ injury, and mortality risk in patients with sepsis.</p></sec>