MicroRNAs as Biomarkers of Active Pulmonary TB Course

Abstract

The spread of drug-resistant forms of TB dictates the need for surgical treatment in the complex of anti-tuberculosis measures in Russia. Most often, surgical intervention is performed in the case of pulmonary tuberculoma or fibrotic cavitary tuberculosis (FCT). This study is devoted to the search for biomarkers that characterize the course of disease in surgical TB patients. It is assumed that such biomarkers will help the surgeon decide on the timing of the planned operation. A number of serum microRNAs, potential regulators of inflammation and fibrosis in TB, selected on the basis of PCR-Array analysis, were considered as biomarkers. Quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction and receiver operating curves (ROC) were used to verify Array data and to estimate the ability of microRNAs (miRNAs) to discriminate between healthy controls, tuberculoma patients, and FCT patients. The study showed that miR-155, miR-191 and miR-223 were differentially expressed in serum of tuberculoma with “decay” and tuberculoma without “decay” patients. Another combination (miR-26a, miR-191, miR-222 and miR-320) forms a set to differentiate between tuberculoma with “decay” and FCT. Patients with tuberculoma without “decay” diagnosis differ from those with FCT in serum expression of miR-26a, miR-155, miR-191, miR-222 and miR-223. Further investigations are required to evaluate these sets on a larger population so as to set cut-off values that could be applied in laboratory diagnosis.

microRNA hsa-miR-425-5p and hsa-miR-4523 expressions as biomarkers of active pulmonary tuberculosis, latent tuberculosis infection, and lymph node tuberculosis

“…mir-103a-3p was selected based on previous research, which demonstrated its superior statistical performance compared to the commonly used reference RNAs in miRNA qRT-PCR experiments involving human samples. The data analysis revealed a standard deviation of Cq: 4.06, with a mean of 30.2 and a median of 29.4 [ 9 , 10 ]. The CFX96 Touch Real-time PCR Detection System (Bio-Rad, CA, USA) was used to conduct RT-qPCR.…”

Vaccines against Tuberculosis: Where Are We Now?

“…M.tb possesses many virulent factors that interact with host cells and interfere with the host’s immune responses. However, the ways in which M.tb survives in the hostile environment of the human organism is still a subject of investigation [ 46 , 47 , 106 ]. The interplay between M.tb virulence factors and the host are in a constant battle whose outcome will determine whether the TB symptoms will manifest or whether the bacterium will be removed [ 107 ].…”

“…The interplay between M.tb virulence factors and the host are in a constant battle whose outcome will determine whether the TB symptoms will manifest or whether the bacterium will be removed [ 107 ]. The identification of distinct immunological parameters would be good indicators for the performance of the vaccine pre, during or post-vaccination [ 106 , 107 , 108 ]. Knowledge of immune markers or the expression of M.tb virulence factors inside the host will give us a clear picture of the workings of the human organism during infection, vaccination, latency, and follow-up period [ 109 ], so that the treatment plan can be adjusted accordingly to provide maximum protection against TB.…”

Lung Inflammation Signature in Post-COVID-19 TB Patients

“…Indeed, direct comparison of miRNA expression patterns between the tuberculoma group and the post-COVID-19 tuberculoma group showed that only a few miRNA genes were similarly expressed in these groups (Figure 5c). Further analysis of miRNA expression in the serum of TB patients by qRT-PCR using a set of markers that previously allowed us to reliably estimate the activity of specific inflammation in patients with tuberculoma [20] gave the following results, as presented in Figure 6. The levels of miRNA expression in the serum of healthy subjects, patients with tuberculosis without a history of COVID-19, and patients co-infected with tuberculosis and COVID-19 were evaluated.…”

“…Recently, we published the results of our investigation on serum miRNAs as biomarkers of the TB course in surgical patients [20]. Based on these results, here, we used a panel of TB-associated miRNAs to characterize TB activity in surgical patients with pulmonary tuberculoma as well as in surgical patients with pulmonary tuberculoma and a history of COVID-19.…”