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miRNA profiling shows shared signatures in pediatric asthma, obesity and their comorbidity

Harshita Shailesh1, Mohamed Nadhir Djekidel2, Safa Noor1

  • 1Department of Pediatric Medicine, Division of Pulmonology, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar.

Frontiers in Immunology
|June 1, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Childhood obesity and asthma share molecular drivers, identified through microRNA (miRNA) signatures in children. These findings suggest potential biomarkers for managing pediatric asthma in obese children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Metabolic Disorders

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a significant risk factor for asthma development and severity.
  • The molecular mechanisms linking obesity and asthma in children are not well understood.
  • Obesity can reduce the effectiveness of standard asthma treatments like corticosteroids.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify microRNA (miRNA) signatures associated with asthma-obesity comorbidity in children.
  • To explore potential shared molecular drivers between asthma and obesity.
  • To investigate circulating miRNA profiles in pediatric asthma and obesity.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional study involving four pediatric groups: normal weight with asthma, overweight/obesity with asthma, overweight/obesity without asthma, and normal weight without asthma.
  • Circulating miRNA profiles analyzed using NanoString nCounter platform.
  • Bioinformatic tools (Enrichr) used for differential expression and pathway enrichment analyses; correlations assessed with clinical and cytokine data.

Main Results:

  • Distinct miRNA expression profiles were observed across the four groups.
  • Five miRNAs were consistently upregulated (miR-423-3p, -92a-3p, -4536-5p, -197-3p, -891a-5p) and two downregulated (miR-144-3p, -641) in asthma, obesity, and their comorbidity.
  • miRNAs associated with asthma-obesity comorbidity implicated pathways in IL-4/IL-13 signaling, innate immunity, and metabolism, correlating with elevated neutrophils, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and reduced lung function.

Conclusions:

  • An exploratory study identified a shared circulating miRNA signature in children with asthma-obesity comorbidity.
  • These identified miRNAs may serve as potential biomarkers for asthma in obese children.
  • The findings suggest potential novel therapeutic targets for managing pediatric asthma and obesity.
Abstract

Keywords:
asthmabiomarkerschildrenmiRNA profilingobesitypediatric

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