Circulating miR-146a and pro-inflammatory cytokines in women with toxoplasmosis in Iraq, Baghdad

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is a prevalent parasitic infection caused by intracellular parasite T. gondii that can affect immune responses to variable levels. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a cluster of small non-coding RNAs that have a crucial regulatory function of immune response manifested by dynamic changes in the expression level of miRNA during different immune responses. The objective of this study is to assess the expression of miR-146a, and its correlation with the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF- α, IFN-γ, and IL-12 among women, who were acutely and chronically infected with toxoplasmosis. This study was conducted on 55 female patients with positive results for toxoplasmosis as diagnosed by the ELISA technique. They were assigned to 20 women diagnosed with acute toxoplasmosis, and 35 women diagnosed with chronic toxoplasmosis. The control group included 35 healthy women. A significant upregulation in the expression levels of miRNA 146a was observed in patients with acute and chronic infections compared to the control group. However, women with acute toxoplasmosis showed significantly higher levels of miRNA146a expression in comparison to those with chronic Toxoplasmosis. Moreover, patients with acute toxoplasmosis showed a significant increase in the levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-12 in comparison to those with chronic infection, and non-infected women. MiR-146a plays a higher significant role in the activation of innate immune response (acute response) against toxoplasmosis so that manipulation of its expression could be utilized to monitor the disease severity that aids in the treatment of acute infectious diseases. However, future research is required to evaluate the precise role of miRNAs in both acute and chronic infections..