Transcriptomic analysis identified novel biomarker in invasive placenta accreta spectrum

Introduction

Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders pose a grave threat to maternal life due to severe hemorrhage and the heightened risk of peripartum hysterectomy. Consequently, there's a pressing need for circulating biomarkers in clinical settings. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), being stable in peripheral circulation, hold promise as potential biomarkers for PAS.

Methods

This study recruited singleton live pregnancies, including cases of invasive PAS, placenta previa (PP), and controls, across three phases. Initially, RNA-seq of peripheral blood identified 6 miRNAs in the screening phase. Subsequently, in the training and validation phases, miR-23a-5p, along with its target genes ASF1B and CHTF8, were validated using qRT-PCR. The diagnostic value of these markers for PAS and adverse outcomes was evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves.

Results

The results showed miR-23a-5p was down-regulated in PAS, whereas ASF1B and CHTF8 were up-regulated. miR-23a-5p had modest diagnostic efficiency for PAS and adverse outcomes, as the AUC were 0.689 and 0.711 respectively. However, when miR-23a-5p combined with CHTF8, the AUC can improve greatly to 0.869 in PAS diagnosis and 0.856 in prediction of adverse outcomes.

Discussion

We propose the miR-23a-5p plays a role in PAS pathogenesis through regulating cell proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis by targeting various genes. This study confirmed its potential value of miR-23a-5p combined with target gene CHTF8 as novel biomarkers for PAS and adverse outcomes.