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REVIEW article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Infectious Agents and Disease
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1441781
This article is part of the Research Topic Host-pathogen crosstalk: implications in host cellular processes by intracellular pathogens View all 8 articles

The Role of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Exosomal miRNAs in host pathogen cross talk as diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers

Provisionally accepted
Farwa Mukhtar Farwa Mukhtar 1Antonio Guarnieri Antonio Guarnieri 1Natasha Brancazio Natasha Brancazio 1Marilina Falcone Marilina Falcone 1Maria Di Naro Maria Di Naro 2Muhammad Azeem Muhammad Azeem 3Muhammad Zubair Muhammad Zubair 4Daria Nicolosi Daria Nicolosi 2Roberto M. Di Marco Roberto M. Di Marco 1Giulio Petronio Petronio Giulio Petronio Petronio 1*
  • 1 Department of Medicine and Health Sciences Vincenzo Tiberio, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy
  • 2 University of Catania, Catania, Sicily, Italy
  • 3 Department of Medicine of Precision in the Medical, Surgical and Critical Care Areas, University of Palermo, Palermo, Sicily, Italy
  • 4 Government College University, Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan

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

    Tuberculosis (TB) is a threat that is claimed to be a global health phenomenon with a prevalence rate of one-quarter of the world's population. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also describes that 6 million people die annually due to chronic illnesses. This is attributed to factors such as the emergence of drug-resistant strains and the outstanding survival factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). However, miRNAs have lately come into focus for their exceptional role in TB pathogenesis compared to typical small RNAs (sRNA) since they can shift the immune facets of the host. For instance, miR-155, miR-125b, and miR-29a have been identified as effectors in the immune response to MTB regarding the modulation of macrophages and T cells and cytokine production. While sRNAs are constrained within cells, exo-miRNAs are secreted from MTB-infected macrophages, and the latter changes the function of cells to the benefit of the bacterium and continues the infection cycle. Other potential significance are that the expression of these miRNAs affects specific genes and pathways involved in immune functions, implying that they can be used to diagnose TB and as therapeutic targets. This kind of review, therefore, compiles existing information on the immunomodulatory function of exosomal miRNAs from MTB, particularly about the disease progression and scientific potential of this approach compared to the existing diagnostic techniques. Thus, to understand the focus of the role of exosomal miRNAs in TB and to know their potential for developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic methods.

    Keywords: MicroRNAs1, tuberculosis2, Diagnostics3, Therapeutics Biomarkers4, Hostpathogen interactions5, immune response6, Bacterial Exosomes7, Intercellular Pathogen8 Commentato [GP1]: REV 2. Comment 3 Paul

    Received: 31 May 2024; Accepted: 25 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Mukhtar, Guarnieri, Brancazio, Falcone, Di Naro, Azeem, Zubair, Nicolosi, Di Marco and Petronio Petronio. 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: Giulio Petronio Petronio, Department of Medicine and Health Sciences Vincenzo Tiberio, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.