O papel dos miRNAs como biomarcadores na cardiomiopatia chagásica: uma revisão da literatura e análise in silico

Abstract

Introduction: Chagas cardiomyopathy (CC) is a severe form of Chagas disease (DC) and one of the main causes of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Dysregulation of the immune response leads to cardiac remodeling and functional changes, resulting in life-threatening complications. Conventional diagnostic methods have limitations and assessing therapeutic response is still a challenge. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), important regulators of gene expression, have potential as biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. Objective: This review aims to summarize experimental findings on the expression of differential miRNAs in CC and explore the potential of these miRNAs as biomarkers in Chagas disease. Methods: The search was carried out in the public database of the United States National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE/PubMed) using the terms “Chagas cardiomyopathy” OR “Chagas Disease” AND “microRNA” OR “miRNA” OR “miR”. Furthermore, a bioinformatics analysis was performed to investigate miRNA-target interactions and explore Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment pathways of biological processes and molecular functions. Results: miR- 21, miR-146b, miR-146a, and miR-155 exhibited consistently upregulation, whereas miR-145 was upregulated at CC levels. These specific miRNAs have been associated with fibrosis, immune response and inflammatory processes in cardiac tissue. Conclusion: In this review, we highlight the role of frequent miRNAs in the studies developed. In addition to presenting biological functions in the CC context, these miRNAs were shown to be potential biomarkers for diagnosis, disease progression and monitoring of antiparasitic treatment.