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A Candidate Salivary miRNA Panel for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Very and Extremely Low-Birth-Weight Preterm
Arailym Abilbayeva1, Elmira Bitanova1, Iskander Isgandarov2
1Shortanbayev General Immunology Department, Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, Almaty 050000, Kazakhstan.
Insights
Salivary microRNAs (miRNAs) show promise as early biomarkers for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. Elevated levels of specific miRNAs in saliva may help identify infants at risk for this serious respiratory complication.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Molecular Biology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a major complication of extreme prematurity, impacting long-term respiratory health.
- Current BPD diagnosis occurs late (36 weeks postmenstrual age), necessitating early, non-invasive biomarkers.
- Identifying early indicators is crucial for timely intervention and improved outcomes in premature infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify a panel of salivary microRNAs (miRNAs) as potential early biomarkers for BPD risk.
- To explore the pathogenetic relevance of candidate miRNAs through in silico analysis.
Main Methods:
- Saliva samples collected from 20 preterm infants (10 with BPD, 10 controls).
- miRNA expression profiling using GeneChip™ miRNA 4.1 Array Plate.
- Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis for discriminatory performance.
Main Results:
- Significantly elevated expression of hsa-let-7b-5p, hsa-let-7c-5p, and hsa-miR-4454 in the BPD group (p < 0.05).
- High diagnostic accuracy with bootstrap-corrected AUC values from 0.905 to 0.937.
- No significant correlation found between miRNA levels and gestational age or birth weight.
Conclusions:
- Salivary miRNAs show potential as hypothesis-generating biomarkers for BPD.
- Further validation in larger cohorts is required before clinical application.
- These findings may pave the way for earlier BPD risk assessment.
Introduction:
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) remains the most significant complication of extreme prematurity, affecting long-term respiratory outcomes. Because current diagnostic criteria identify only established lesions at 36 weeks postmenstrual age, early non-invasive biomarkers are needed. This pilot study aimed to identify a candidate salivary miRNA panel associated with BPD risk and to explore its pathogenetic relevance through in silico analysis.
Methods:
Saliva was collected from 20 preterm infants (10 with BPD and 10 controls), and miRNA expression was profiled using the GeneChip™ miRNA 4.1 Array Plate. Discriminatory performance was explored by ROC analysis within this discovery cohort, together with power and Spearman correlation analyses.
Results:
Expression of hsa-let-7b-5p, hsa-let-7c-5p, and hsa-miR-4454 was significantly elevated in the BPD group (p < 0.05, log2FC ≥ 1.0), with no significant correlation with gestational age or birth weight. Bootstrap-corrected AUC values ranged from 0.905 to 0.937 and were supported by leave-one-out cross-validation. All three miRNAs showed very large effect sizes exceeding the minimum detectable effect at 80% power.
Conclusions:
In this pilot study, salivary miRNAs represent a hypothesis-generating candidate biomarker signal for BPD that requires external validation in larger, independent cohorts before any diagnostic or prognostic application can be considered.
