Evaluating the Level of IL-22 and Gene Expression of miRNA-146 in Iraqi Patients with Wound and Burn Injury and Bacterial Infection

Abstract

     Impaired and chronic wound healing (WH) is a prevalent and serious medical issue, and it poses a significant challenge to public health since WH is an essential physiological process that maintains skin integrity. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum levels of IL-22 and the gene expression of miRNA-146 in Iraqi patients with wound and burn injuries, to determine their potential as diagnostic biomarkers. In total, 300 blood samples were collected: 200 samples from wound and burn patients, and 100 samples as a control group were collected from healthy individuals. The ELISA technique was used to measure the serum level of IL-22. In addition, real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to quantify the gene expression level of miRNA-146. Clinical biomarkers showed a significant increase (p-value ≤ 0.05) in all biomarkers that include white blood cell, red blood cell, neutrophil, lymphocyte, platelets, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Also, the levels of IL22 were significantly increased in the patients' group (p-value < 0.01), which was 6.123 pg/mL compared to the healthy control group, which was 3.802 pg/mL. Molecular evaluation using RT-qPCR demonstrated a marked downregulation in miRNA-146 expression in patients (0.207 ± 0.043) compared to controls (1.0 ± 0.0), indicating approximately an 80% reduction in fold expression.