Role of circulating microRNA-132 in Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis: A case-control study

Abstract Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is an allergic respiratory disease. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the roles of miRNA-21 and miRNA132 as biomarkers in the diagnosis of ABPA. A total of 30 controls, 30 allergic asthmatic patients, 30 severe asthma with fungal sensitization (SAFS) patients, and 30 ABPA patients were included. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify the level of miRNAs expression. The expression level of miRNA-21 was significantly higher in allergic asthmatic, SAFS, and ABPA patients in comparison with controls (p 0.05). The ABPA patients had significantly higher levels of miRNA-132 expression compared to controls, allergic asthmatic patients, and SAFS patients (p miRNA-132 has a role in ABPA detection and distinguishing ABPA from allergic asthma and SAFS. These preliminary data from case-control study need further studies to confirm its finding.