The role of miRNA20a and miRNA320 in Iraqi patients with COVID-19: a case–control study

Abstract

Abstract Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent responsible for the onset of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), elicits a wide range of clinical manifestations, spanning from asymptomatic infection to the development of severe and potentially fatal diseases. The involvement of host microribonucleic acids (microRNAs) in the cytokine storm induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection has been observed, leading to their identification as potential biomarkers for COVID-19. Consequently, the objective of this study was to examine the expression of miRNA-20a and miRNA-320 in 145 COVID-19 patients and 145 healthy controls using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results The results indicated a significant increase in miRNA-20a expression with fold change (10.65; P ≤ 0.0001), while decreased expression of miRNA-320 was found with fold change (0.48; P ≤ 0.0001) in COVID-19 patients. The specificity and sensitivity of miRNAs in COVID-19 patients were assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Conclusion miRNA-20a and miRNA-320 may serve as potential COVID-19 diagnostic biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity.