Circulating Extracellular Vesicle miR-150–5p as a biomarker for optimizing clinical management of sepsis and septic shock: A discovery and validation Study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Sepsis and septic shock remain major causes of mortality in surgical patients. The role of extracellular vesicles (EVs), particularly their microRNAs (miRNAs) content, has emerged as key players in the detection and understanding of these conditions. Thus, this study aimed to profile circulating plasma-derived EV-miRNAs in patients with sepsis and septic shock to identify differential biomarkers that can facilitate the management of these patients. METHODS: A multicentric study was conducted in 100 patients who were followed prospectively, 58 developed septic shock and 42 developed sepsis. EV-miRNAs were isolated and massively sequenced to identify differentially expressed miRNAs between groups. Predictive performance was evaluated using receiver operating curves (ROC). Results were validated in an additional validation cohort. Furthermore, we compared our data with an external cohort of plasma miRNA data. RESULTS: Eighteen SDE (Statistically Differentially Expressed) EV-miRNAs were identified between the two groups of patients. Six EV-miRNAs had a good ability to detect septic shock. Low levels of hsa-miR-150-5p showed the best ability to detect septic shock (AUC: 0.852; 95 % CI: 0.75-0.96; p < 0.001) with a sensitivity of 86.96 % and a specificity of 78.72 %. hsa-miR-150-5p association with septic shock was validated and confirmed its presence in plasma via qPCR. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, hsa-miR-150-5p levels exhibit a significant differential expression between septic shock and sepsis patients. This biomarker may help in early risk stratification and guide clinical decisions in post-surgical sepsis management. Moreover, our findings suggest its potential as a therapeutic target in sepsis, although its use as a therapeutic target requires further investigation.

Source: Journal of Infection and Public Health

DOI: 10.1016/j.jiph.2025.102966

Institutions: Universidad de Valladolid, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valladolid, Hospital Universitario Río Hortega, Instituto de Estudios de Ciencias de la Salud de Castilla y León, Queen Mary University of London, Hospital Universitario de Toledo, Centro Nacional de Microbiologia

Language: English

Topic: Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment

Subfield: Epidemiology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,310

Funders: Centro de Investigación Biotecnológica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Instituto de Salud Carlos III

Awards: G496409687, G7545434932, Secuenciación Unicelular de Células Endoteliales Circulantes, La llave del éxito para la medicina de precisión en sepsis (SUCCESS)

OpenAlex ID: W4414009087