RT journal article
T1 MicroRNA mapping of bronchial aspirate for molecular phenotyping and prognostication in patients on mechanical ventilation
A1 Molinero, Marta
A1 Benítez, Iván D.
A1 Perez Pons, Manel
A1 Rodríguez-Muñoz, Carlos
A1 Gómez, Silvia
A1 García Hidalgo, María C.
A1 Sanchez-Rodriguez, Miguel
A1 Gort-Paniello, Clara
A1 Moncusí-Moix, Anna
A1 Torres, Gerard
A1 Ayestarán, Jose Ignacio
A1 Socias, Lorenzo
A1 Zuil, María
A1 Motos, Ana
A1 Fernández-Barat, Laia
A1 Canseco, Joan
A1 Recuerda Nuñez, María
A1 Ortega, Alicia
A1 Postigo, Tamara
A1 Caballero, Jesús
A1 Barberà, Carme
A1 González, Jessica
A1 Torres, Antoni
A1 Barbé, Ferran
A1 Bermejo Martin, Jesús F.
A1 Estella García, Ángel
A1 de Gonzalo-Calvo, David
A2 Cirugía
A2 Medicina
K1 bronchial aspirate
K1 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid
K1 biomarkers
K1 COVID-19
K1 nvasive mechanical ventilation
K1 microRNAs
K1 MT
K1 Non-coding RNAs
K1 noncoding RNA
K1 SARS-CoV-2
K1 tracheal aspirate
AB The application of microRNA (miRNA) profiling in respiratory biospecimens, particularly bronchial aspirate (BAS), remains underexplored. Here, we aimed to validate and refine miRNA quantification in BAS samples to establish its suitability for molecular phenotyping. This was a multicenter study including 288 COVID-19 patients on invasive mechanical ventilation. Respiratory biospecimens included BAS, tracheal aspirate, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples. A predesigned miRNA panel was evaluated using RT-qPCR. Biomarker evaluation and functional assessment were subsequently conducted. An initial technical validation phase corroborated the reproducibility of miRNA profiling in BAS samples. Comparative analyses of miRNA expression profiles across respiratory samples revealed distinct miRNA patterns among biospecimens. In the biomarker analysis, two miRNA ratios, miR-34c-5p/miR-34a-5p and miR-34c-5p/miR-125b-5p, were inversely associated with intensive care unit (ICU) survival (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.18 and 0.17, respectively) during the discovery phase. Risk and survival analyses in the test phase confirmed the reproducibility of the miR-34c-5p/miR-34a-5p ratio (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.17). Functional analyses revealed the utility of miRNA profiling in BAS for identifying pathogenic pathways and developing therapeutic targets. Overall, these findings position miRNA profiling in BAS samples as a valuable approach for biomarker discovery, iden tification of pathophysiological mechanisms, and development of targeted pulmonary therapies.
PB CELL PRESS
SN 2162-2531
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/39392
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/39392
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 10-nov-2026