Evaluation of microRNA-10a and microRNA-210 as Biomarkers in Sepsis Patients With Acute Kidney Injury.

Background: Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) is a condition that increases in-hospital mortality and the risk of progression to CKD. The current method of detecting AKI, which relies on increased serum creatinine levels or a decrease in urine output, has low sensitivity. Early diagnosis and appropriate intervention in AKI can lead to improved patient outcomes. Several low molecular weight proteins and microRNAs detected in AKI are considered early biomarkers of AKI, such as miR-10a-5p and miR-210-3p. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 62 participants, consisting of 26 sepsis patients with AKI, 26 sepsis patients without AKI, and 10 healthy controls. AKI was determined according to KDIGO criteria. MicroRNA expression was analyzed using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Statistical analysis was obtained using the Kruskal-Wallis test, Spearman's correlation coefficient, and ROC curve analysis. Result: The median miR-10a-5p expression of the healthy controls versus sepsis with AKI versus sepsis without AKI groups was 10.38 (5.50-33.82) versus 10.32 (3.32-31.53) versus 9.76 (0.32-97.36), while the median miR-210-3p expression was 0.20 (0.03-0.41) versus 0.38 (0.04-1.24) versus 0.29 (0.06-1.67), respectively, with p = 0.721 for miR-10a-5p and p = 0.013 for miR-210-3 p. A significant increase in miR-210-3p expression was found in the sepsis with AKI compared to the healthy controls (p = 0.013) and sepsis without AKI (p = 0.034). miR-210-3p significantly correlated with creatinine and urea serum level (p < 0.05); miR-10a-5p did not have a significant correlation. The sensitivity and specificity of miR-10a-5p were 61.5% and 47.2%, and miR-210-3p were 84.6% and 63.9% for determining AKI. Conclusion: The study's findings revealed a significant increase in miR-210-3p expression in sepsis patients with AKI, indicating its potential as a promising biomarker for determining AKI. This discovery demonstrates that the diagnostic performance of miR-210-3p surpasses that of miR-10a-5p, providing a more accurate biomarker for diagnosing AKI in sepsis patients.