Expression profiling of circular RNAs in sepsis-induced acute gastrointestinal injury: insights into potential biomarkers and mechanisms.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in sepsis-induced acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI), focusing on their potential as biomarkers and their involvement in disease progression. Peripheral blood samples from 14 patients with sepsis-induced AGI and healthy volunteers were collected. RNA sequencing was performed to profile circRNA and miRNA expression. Differential expression analysis identified key regulatory RNAs. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted to explore biological pathways, and circRNA-miRNA interaction networks were constructed. Significant differences in circRNA and miRNA expression profiles were observed between sepsis-induced AGI patients and healthy controls. Several circRNAs, including hsa_circ_0008381 and hsa_circ_0071375, exhibited stepwise expression increases correlating with AGI severity. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that the host genes of differentially expressed circRNAs are involved in key biological processes like protein ubiquitination, organelle maintenance, and cellular signaling pathways such as mitochondrial biogenesis and lipid metabolism. CircRNA-miRNA interaction networks suggested their role as miRNA sponges, regulating key downstream processes. This study demonstrated the potential of circRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for sepsis-induced AGI. Further research is warranted to validate their clinical utility and unravel their mechanistic roles in AGI progression.