Circulating microRNAs as potential biomarkers in pediatric epilepsy: a pilot study

IF 2.3 3区医学 Q2 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Epilepsy & Behavior Pub Date : 2025-08-02 DOI:10.1016/j.yebeh.2025.110631

Beata Rzepka-Migut , Celina Kruszniewska-Rajs , Magdalena Bugowska , Marcela Krzempek , Joanna Gola , Pasquale Striano , Justyna Paprocka

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

Epilepsy is among the most prevalent neurological disorders in children, yet its diagnosis remains largely subjective and reliant on clinician expertise. This highlights the need for objective, minimally invasive biomarkers to support early diagnosis and predict drug resistance. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in whole blood present a promising avenue as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for pediatric epilepsy. This study explores the relationship between selected miRNA expression levels and clinical characteristics in children with epilepsy.

Methods

A literature review identified five miRNAs with high potential as biomarkers for drug-resistant epilepsy based on studies of the adult population. Quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) assays were employed to measure miRNA levels in whole blood and assess correlations with clinical characteristics. This pilot study, conducted from June to December 2023, analyzed 109 of the 115 collected blood samples.

Results

Correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between miR-142-3p, miR-194-5p, and miR-342-5p expression levels with sex, miR-142-3p and miR-342-5p expression levels with the age of seizure onset, and miR-342-5p with family history. Additionally, miR-233-3p expression showed a statistically significant correlation with EEG abnormalities. The analysis did not demonstrate the potential of the selected miRNAs as valuable biomarkers.

Significance

Differences in epilepsy etiology between pediatric and adult populations, along with age and disease duration-dependent miRNA expression, suggest that adult-based findings may not be directly applicable to children. Further research in pediatric cohorts is essential to establish miRNAs as reliable biomarkers for pediatric epilepsy diagnosis and prognosis.

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循环microrna作为儿童癫痫的潜在生物标志物：一项初步研究

目的癫痫是儿童中最常见的神经系统疾病之一，但其诊断在很大程度上仍然是主观的，依赖于临床医生的专业知识。这凸显了需要客观的、微创的生物标志物来支持早期诊断和预测耐药性。全血循环microRNAs （miRNAs）作为儿科癫痫的潜在诊断和预后生物标志物具有广阔的应用前景。本研究探讨选定的miRNA表达水平与癫痫患儿临床特征的关系。方法通过对成人人群的研究，筛选出5种高潜力的mirna作为耐药癫痫的生物标志物。采用定量RT-PCR （RT-qPCR）检测全血中miRNA水平，并评估其与临床特征的相关性。这项试点研究于2023年6月至12月进行，分析了115份采集的血液样本中的109份。结果miR-142-3p、miR-194-5p和miR-342-5p表达水平与性别、miR-142-3p和miR-342-5p表达水平与癫痫发作年龄、miR-342-5p表达水平与家族史相关。此外，miR-233-3p的表达与脑电图异常有统计学意义。该分析并未证明所选mirna作为有价值的生物标志物的潜力。儿童和成人人群癫痫病因学的显著差异，以及年龄和疾病持续时间依赖的miRNA表达，表明基于成人的研究结果可能不直接适用于儿童。进一步的儿科队列研究对于确定mirna作为儿童癫痫诊断和预后的可靠生物标志物至关重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Epilepsy & Behavior 医学-行为科学

CiteScore

5.40

自引率

15.40%

发文量

385

审稿时长

43 days

期刊介绍： Epilepsy & Behavior is the fastest-growing international journal uniquely devoted to the rapid dissemination of the most current information available on the behavioral aspects of seizures and epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior presents original peer-reviewed articles based on laboratory and clinical research. Topics are drawn from a variety of fields, including clinical neurology, neurosurgery, neuropsychiatry, neuropsychology, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, and neuroimaging. From September 2012 Epilepsy & Behavior stopped accepting Case Reports for publication in the journal. From this date authors who submit to Epilepsy & Behavior will be offered a transfer or asked to resubmit their Case Reports to its new sister journal, Epilepsy & Behavior Case Reports.