Work

miR-146a-5p alleviates sepsis-induced acute lung injury by targeting the IRAK1/TRAF6/NF-κB signaling pathway

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Sepsis-Acute Lung Injury (S-ALI) is characterized by an excessive inflammatory response and has a high mortality rate. The regulatory role of microRNAs (miRNAs) remains to be further explored. Including S-ALI patients and healthy individuals, combined with cell models, through techniques such as qRT-PCR, dual luciferase reporter assay, and multivariate Logistic regression, the expression and correlation of miR-146a-5p, IRAK1, and pro-inflammatory factors were analyzed to clarify the regulatory mechanism. In patients with S-ALI, the expression of miR-146a-5p was significantly decreased, while the expressions of IRAK1 and pro-inflammatory factors were significantly increased. Cell experiments confirmed that miR-146a-5p directly targeted IRAK1. Western blot further demonstrated that miR-146a-5p suppressed the IRAK1/TRAF6/NF-κB signaling cascade, thereby reducing pro-inflammatory factor production. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified plasma miR-146a-5p as an independent discriminating factor for S-ALI versus healthy subjects. ROC analysis revealed its favourable diagnostic performance to distinguish S-ALI patients from healthy controls. miR-146a-5p inhibits the inflammatory response in S-ALI by targeting the IRAK1/TRAF6/NF-κB pathway. These results highlight miR-146a-5p as a candidate molecule deserving further investigation in S-ALI. Not applicable.

Source: BMC Immunology

DOI: 10.1186/s12865-026-00925-6

Authors: Rong Lu, Shuli Hu, Wei Dai, Xuepeng Fan

Institution: Wuhan No.1 Hospital

Language: English

Topic: MicroRNA in disease regulation

Subfield: Cancer Research

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,090