Abstract
BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation that is due to airway and/or alveolar abnormalities. The main causes of COPD are Gene-environment interactions associated with tobacco smoking (COPD-TS) and biomass smoke (COPD-BS). It is well know that microRNAs (miRNAs) participate in the control of post-transcriptional regulation and are involved in COPD-TS; nevertheless, those miRNAS are participating in the COPD-BS are unidentified. Thus, we studied which miRNAs are involved in COPD-BS (GOLD stages I–II).MethodsIn the screening phase, the profile of the miRNAs was analyzed in serum samples (n = 3) by means of a PCR array. Subsequently, the miRNAs were validated with RT-qPCR (n = 25) in the corresponding study groups. Additionally, the serum concentration of Notch1 was measured comparing COPD-BS vs COPD-TS.ResultsmiR-34a was down-regulated in COPD- BS vs COPD-TS. In the other study groups, three miRNAs were differentially expressed: miR-374a was down-regulated in COPD-BS vs C, miR-191-5p was up-regulated in COPD-BS vs H-BS, and miR-21-5p was down-regulated in COPD-TS compared to the C group. Moreover, the serum concentration of Notch1, one of the targets of miR-34a, was increased in COPD-BS compared to women with COPD-TS.ConclusionsThis is the first study in patients with COPD due to biomass that demonstrates miRNA expression differences between patients. The observations support the concept that COPD by biomass has a different phenotype than COPD due to tobacco smoking, which could have important implications for the treatment of these diseases.
Highlights
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation that is due to airway and/or alveolar abnormalities
Unlike COPD caused by tobacco, biomass COPD tends to remain in Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) I and II stages [3,4,5,6], and rarely progresses to emphysema [5]
We aimed to compare the expression of microRNAs in women with COPD due to biomass and tobacco smoke, as will as in control women, and to determine and quantify the target of miRNAs that are being differentially expressed by COPD phenotypes
Summary
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation that is due to airway and/or alveolar abnormalities. We studied which miRNAs are involved in COPD-BS (GOLD stages I–II). Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common, preventable and treatable disease, characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. COPD is caused by exposure to noxious particles or gases [1]; tobacco smoke inhalation is a fundamental cause of COPD and affects both genders. Biomass smoke, such as that produced by wood combustion for cooking, is another risk factor that disproportionally affects women, in low and middle-income countries [2]. The specific mechanisms that differentiate the phenotype of COPD by tobacco and biomass are largely unknown
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