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García-Hidalgo MC, Benítez ID, Perez-Pons M, Molinero M, Belmonte T, Rodríguez-Muñoz C, Aguilà M, Santisteve S, Torres G, Moncusí-Moix A, Gort-Paniello C, Peláez R, Larráyoz IM, Caballero J, Barberà C, Nova-Lamperti E, Torres A, González J, Barbé F, de Gonzalo-Calvo D. MicroRNA-guided drug discovery for mitigating persistent pulmonary complications in critical COVID-19 survivors: A longitudinal pilot study. Br J Pharmacol 2024. [PMID: 38359818 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection pose a significant global challenge, with nearly 50% of critical COVID-19 survivors manifesting persistent lung abnormalities. The lack of understanding about the molecular mechanisms and effective treatments hampers their management. Here, we employed microRNA (miRNA) profiling to decipher the systemic molecular underpinnings of the persistent pulmonary complications. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH We conducted a longitudinal investigation including 119 critical COVID-19 survivors. A comprehensive pulmonary evaluation was performed in the short-term (median = 94.0 days after hospital discharge) and long-term (median = 358 days after hospital discharge). Plasma miRNAs were quantified at the short-term evaluation using the gold-standard technique, RT-qPCR. The analyses combined machine learning feature selection techniques with bioinformatic investigations. Two additional datasets were incorporated for validation. KEY RESULTS In the short-term, 84% of the survivors exhibited impaired lung diffusion (DLCO < 80% of predicted). One year post-discharge, 54.4% of this patient subgroup still presented abnormal DLCO . Four feature selection methods identified two specific miRNAs, miR-9-5p and miR-486-5p, linked to persistent lung dysfunction. The downstream experimentally validated targetome included 1473 genes, with heterogeneous enriched pathways associated with inflammation, angiogenesis and cell senescence. Validation studies using RNA-sequencing and proteomic datasets emphasized the pivotal roles of cell migration and tissue repair in persistent lung dysfunction. The repositioning potential of the miRNA targets was limited. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS Our study reveals early mechanistic pathways contributing to persistent lung dysfunction in critical COVID-19 survivors, offering a promising approach for the development of targeted disease-modifying agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- María C García-Hidalgo
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Iván D Benítez
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manel Perez-Pons
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marta Molinero
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Thalía Belmonte
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos Rodríguez-Muñoz
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Aguilà
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
| | - Sally Santisteve
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gerard Torres
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Group of Precision Medicine in Chronic Diseases, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
| | - Anna Moncusí-Moix
- Group of Precision Medicine in Chronic Diseases, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
| | - Clara Gort-Paniello
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael Peláez
- Biomarkers and Molecular Signaling Group, Neurodegenerative Diseases Area Center for Biomedical Research of La Rioja, CIBIR, Logroño, Spain
| | - Ignacio M Larráyoz
- Biomarkers and Molecular Signaling Group, Neurodegenerative Diseases Area Center for Biomedical Research of La Rioja, CIBIR, Logroño, Spain
- BIAS, Department of Nursing, University of La Rioja, Logroño, Spain
| | - Jesús Caballero
- Grup de Recerca Medicina Intensiva, Intensive Care Department Hospital Universitari Arnau de Vilanova, Lleida, Spain
| | - Carme Barberà
- Intensive Care Department, University Hospital Santa María, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
| | - Estefania Nova-Lamperti
- Molecular and Translational Immunology Laboratory, Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidad de Concepcion, Concepcion, Chile
| | - Antoni Torres
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Pneumology Department, Clinic Institute of Thorax (ICT), Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Insitut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), ICREA, University of Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jessica González
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ferran Barbé
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - David de Gonzalo-Calvo
- Translational Research in Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital Arnau de Vilanova and Santa Maria, IRBLleida, Lleida, Spain
- CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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