Plasma miRNA Profile in High Risk of Preterm Birth during Early and Mid-Pregnancy

Abstract

In recent years evidence has been accumulated showing that miRNAs can act as potential biomarkers or targets for therapy of preterm birth, one of the most important problems in modern obstetrics. We have performed a prospective study of the miRNA profile in the plasma during the first and second trimesters in pregnant women with high risk of preterm birth (n = 13 cases and n = 11 controls). For the study group plasma blood samples at 9–13 weeks before diagnosis and at 22–24 weeks after start of therapy were selected. Using high-throughput sequencing technology we detected differences in the levels of 15 miRNAs (3 upregulated—hsa-miR-122-5p, hsa-miR-34a-5p, hsa-miR-34c-5p; 12 downregulated—hsa-miR-487b-3p, hsa-miR-493-3p, hsa-miR-432-5p, hsa-miR-323b-3p, hsa-miR-369-3p, hsa-miR-134-5p, hsa-miR-431-5p, hsa-miR-485-5p, hsa-miR-382-5p, hsa-miR-369-5p, hsa-miR-485-3p, hsa-miR-127-3p) (log2(FC) ≥ 1.5; FDR ≤ 0.05) during the first trimester compared with the control (non-high-risk of preterm birth pregnant women). All downregulated miRNAs in the first trimester from the placenta-specific C14MC cluster. During the second trimester no differentially expressed miRNAs were found. Our results suggest that the miRNA profile in plasma during early pregnancy may predict a high risk of preterm birth, which is important in preventing gestational problems as early as possible.

MicroRNA Associations with Preterm Labor—A Systematic Review

“…Illarionov et al conducted a prospective study on miRNA profiles in plasma during the first trimester, revealing discernible differences in levels among women at high risk of preterm birth. The study identified 15 dysregulated miRNAs, highlighting the potential utility of early miRNA profiles in predicting the risk of preterm birth [29].…”

“…The expression levels of miRNAs demonstrate dynamic fluctuations across the different trimesters of pregnancy, with specific miRNAs upregulated in the first trimester and others not showing differential expression until later stages [29]. This highlights the complex regulation of miRNA expression throughout pregnancy and its potential impact on preterm labor.…”

Customizing EV-CATCHER to Purify Placental Extracellular Vesicles from Maternal Plasma to Detect Placental Pathologies

“…When focusing these analyses on miRNAs with the highest read counts (i.e., baseMean > 1000), we identified three upregulated (i.e., miR-151-3p, miR-199a-5p and miR-340) and three down regulated (i.e., miR-122, miR-378 and miR-486) miRNAs. Although we are the first, to our knowledge, to determine that the deregulation of these EV-miRNAs may be associated with percreta pregnancies, recent studies have shown that the deregulated expression of miR-NAs (i.e., as EV-miRNAs and circulating miRNAs) is also associated with other adverse pregnancy outcomes [71,72], including preeclampsia and spontaneous pre-term birth [73][74][75][76]. For example, miR-486, which we found to be downregulated in placental EVs of placenta percreta pregnancies, has been found to be upregulated in EVs derived from human placental microvascular endothelial cells, and it is associated with the regulation of proliferation, migration, and invasion of trophoblast cells, thus contributing to poor placentation and the clinical manifestation of preeclampsia [77,78].…”

Value of Non-Coding RNA Expression in Biofluids to Identify Patients at Low Risk of Pathologies Associated with Pregnancy

“…Illarionov et al carried out a prospective study of miRNAs in plasma during the first and second trimesters in pregnant women at high risk of PTB (13 cases and 11 controls) [107]. Plasma blood samples at 9-13 WG and 22-24 WG were available for the study group.…”