Correlation of miRNAs With Prognosis in Composite Tissue Allotransplantation

Objectives: The number of composite tissue allotransplant procedures is increasing and has gained popularity. As with other transplant procedures, early detection of possible pathologies is as important as clinical follow-up. The present study investigated the correlation between microRNA expression levels and clinical follow-up of individuals undergoing composite tissue transplant. Materials and Methods: Whole microRNA expression levels were analyzed from peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from preoperative and postoperative blood of patients who underwent facial transplant. Analyses were performed using microRNA levels from patients' preoperative blood samples. Results: The clinical findings of patients with facial transplant were correlated with individual miRNA expression level changes. The expression of miR-31, the high expression of which has been linked to rejection, was significantly low in our patients. No expression changes were observed in other rejection-related microRNAs. Grade 1 rejection was generally seen in our patients, and these findings are consistent with the degree and frequency of rejection episodes in our cases. In addition, immunosuppression-associated diseases such as squamous cell carcinoma, posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders, and aspergillosis, which are encountered clinically, were found to correlate with expression changes in microRNAs such as miR-150-5p, miR-21-5p, miR-17-5p, miR-20a-5p, and miR-3607-5p. Conclusions: Defining the clinical findings and immunosuppression-associated pathologies encountered in composite tissue transplant using biomarkers such as microRNA can play an important role in the improvement of these transplant procedures and in predicting patient morbidity. Therefore, the use of microRNAs may be useful in the clinical follow-up of patients who have received composite tissue allotransplant.

Automated summary

This study investigated the correlation between microRNA expression levels and clinical follow-up in patients undergoing composite tissue transplant. Changes in miRNA expression levels were found to be associated with clinical findings and immunosuppression-related diseases, providing insights for improving transplant procedures and predicting patient morbidity. The use of microRNAs may be valuable for the clinical follow-up of patients who have received composite tissue allotransplant.