Expression Levels of Candidate Circulating microRNAs in Early-Onset Neonatal Sepsis Compared With Healthy Newborns

The high mortality rate of neonatal sepsis is directly connected with time-consuming diagnostic methods that have low sensitivity and specificity. The need of the hour is to develop novel diagnostic techniques that are rapid and more specific. In this study, we estimated the expression levels of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) that are involved in regulating immune response genes and underlying inflammatory responses, which may be used for sepsis diagnosis. The total circulating miRNA was isolated and the candidate miRNAs (miR-132, miR-146a, miR-155, and miR-223) were quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction technique. Statistical analysis revealed that miR-132 (P < .01) and miR-223 (P < .05) were downregulated in septic newborns compared with healthy babies. The decrease in expression of miR-132 and miR-223 may be associated with increased expression of immune-related genes involved in TLR (Toll-like receptor) signaling pathway. Further case-control studies with large sample size are required to identify the potential of miRNAs in neonatal sepsis diagnosis.