Integrated Analysis of Noncoding RNAs (PVT-1 and miR-200c) and Their Correlation with STAT4/IL-6 Axis as Reliable Biomarkers for COVID-19 Severity

Abstract

Inefficient control of elevated inflammatory mediators in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to health complications, prompting the exploration of efficient biomarkers for monitoring this condition. We herein sought to investigate the implications of plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT-1), microRNA-200c (miR-200c), signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT-4), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), as well as how they correlated with creatinine, C-reactive protein (CRP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity to identify biomarkers able to the early prognosis and diagnosis of COVID-19. Our study included a total of 105 infected COVID-19 patients and 35 healthy subjects as controls. Individuals with COVID-19 showed a significant increase in CRP, creatinine, and LDH activity. In addition, COVID-19 patients exhibited significantly higher levels of IL-6. These patients also demonstrated notably elevated expressions of miR-200c and PVT-1. The expression level of STAT4 decreased in the COVID-19 patients, and this decrease was negatively correlated with creatinine and LDH activity. The levels of miR-200c and PVT-1 expressions, and their connections with IL-6 and STAT4 levels, increased significantly with the severity of COVID-19 cases. In addition, receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that PVT-1 and miR-200c could be reliable biomarkers for determining the severity of COVID-19.