ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the correlation of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) with disease risk and severity of bronchial asthma as well as plasma microRNA (miRNA)-125a expression in child patients. Methods Seventy children with asthma exacerbation, 70 children with asthma remission and 70 matched healthy controls were consecutively enrolled in this study. Laboratory parameters and lung function indexes of the participants were recorded. LncRNA ANRIL and miRNA-125a expression levels in plasma were determined using qRT-PCR. Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and IL-17 levels in plasma were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results LncRNA ANRIL expression was the highest in the asthma exacerbation children, followed by asthma remission children and healthy controls. There were significant differences in the expression of lncRNA ANRIL among the three groups (all P<0.01). Receiver operating characteristic curves revealed that lncRNA ANRIL could well differentiate the participants in the three groups. In the children with asthma exacerbation, lncRNA ANRIL expression was associated with disease severity (P=0.001), positively associated with the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-17 (all P<0.05), while negatively associated with forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1 as percentage of predicted (FEV1%Pred) value (both P<0.05). LncRNA ANRIL expression was also positively associated with the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-17 in the asthma remission children and IL-6 level in healthy controls (all P<0.05). LncRNA ANRIL expression was negatively associated with miRNA-125a expression in all the participants (all P<0.05). Besides, miRNA-125a expression was positively correlated with FEV1/FVC and FEV1%Pred value in the children with asthma exacerbetion (both P<0.001). Conclusion LncRNA ANRIL may serve as a novel biomarker for predicting asthma, asthma acute exacerbation and severity, and inflammation level. It may participate in the development and progression of asthma in children via targeting miRNA-125a..