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. 2024 Oct 16;230(4):901-911.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiae310.

miRNome Profiling of Extracellular Vesicles in Patients With Severe COVID-19 and Identification of Predictors of Mortality

Laura Sánchez-de Prada  1   2   3 , Adrián García-Concejo  1   4 , Álvaro Tamayo-Velasco  1   4   5 , Marta Martín-Fernández  1   4   6 , Hugo Gonzalo-Benito  1   4   7 , Óscar Gorgojo-Galindo  1   7 , A Montero-Jodra  1   7 , María Teresa Peláez  1   8 , Iciar Martínez Almeida  1   8 , Miguel Bardají-Carrillo  1   8 , Rocío López-Herrero  1   8   9 , Patricia Román-García  1   8 , José María Eiros  2   3 , Iván Sanz-Muñoz  1   2   4 , Teresa Aydillo  10   11 , María Ángeles Jiménez-Sousa  1   4   12 , Amanda Fernández-Rodríguez  1   4   12 , Salvador Resino  1   4   12 , María Heredia-Rodríguez  1   4   13 , David Bernardo  4   14 , Ester Gómez-Sánchez  1   4   8   9 , Eduardo Tamayo  1   4   8   9
Affiliations

miRNome Profiling of Extracellular Vesicles in Patients With Severe COVID-19 and Identification of Predictors of Mortality

Laura Sánchez-de Prada et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs), containing microRNAs (miRNAs) and other molecules, play a central role in intercellular communication, especially in viral infections caused by SARS-CoV-2. This study explores the miRNA profiles in plasma-derived EVs from patients with severe COVID-19 vs controls, identifying potential mortality predictors.

Methods: This prospective study included 36 patients with severe COVID-19 and 33 controls without COVID-19. EV-derived miRNAs were sequenced, and bioinformatics and differential expression analysis between groups were performed. The plasma miRNA profile of an additional cohort of patients with severe COVID-19 (n = 32) and controls (n = 12) was used to compare with our data. Survival analysis identified potential mortality predictors among the significantly differentially expressed (SDE) miRNAs in EVs.

Results: Patients with severe COVID-19 showed 50 SDE miRNAs in plasma-derived EVs. These miRNAs were associated with pathways related to inflammation and cell adhesion. Fifteen of these plasma-derived EV miRNAs were SDE in the plasma of severe cases vs controls. Two miRNAs, hsa-miR-1469 and hsa-miR-6124, were identified as strong mortality predictors with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.938.

Conclusions: This research provides insights into the role of miRNAs within EVs in severe COVID-19 and their potential as clinical biomarkers for mortality.

Keywords: COVID-19; critically ill patients; extracellular vesicles; microRNAs; mortality biomarkers.

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Conflict of interest statement

Potential conflicts of interest . All authors: No reported conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.