Transcriptome analysis of circulating microRNAs associated with Chagas disease susceptibility and chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy severity.

Roma, Eric Henrique; Marques-Santos, Fabielle; Renzetti, Alinne Rangel Dos Santos; Portela, Luciana Fernandes; Costa, Filipe Pereira da; Hasslocher-Moreno, Alejandro Marcel; Holanda, Marcelo Teixeira de; Sangenis, Luiz Henrique Conde et al. · J Infect Dis · 2026

cross_sectional · Level IV

Where this comes from

Abstract

Chagas disease (ChD), a major public health concern in Latin America, requires better understanding of molecular mechanisms driving disease progression and identifying biomarkers. We investigated circulating microRNAs associated with ChD susceptibility and chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) progression. In a cross-sectional study with 150 ChD patients (46 indeterminate, 104 CCC) and 42 non-ChD controls, we performed microRNA sequencing, and differentiated expressed microRNAs (DEMs) were submitted to in silico functional analyses. We identified 40 DEMs between ChD patients and controls, highlighting upregulated miR-143-3p and miR-223-3p, and downregulated miR-486-5p and miR-3960 in ChD patients. These miRNAs showed involvement in immune response and cardiovascular signaling pathways. MiR-6734-5p, miR-1285-5p, miR-10527-5p and miR-1228-5p tended to be upregulated, while miR-30c-3p tended to be downregulated in severe compared to mild CCC patients. This study provides evidence for specific microRNA dysregulation in ChD, highlighting their potential as biomarkers of ChD susceptibility and CCC severity.