Serum miR-132 and PTEN levels in relation to disease severity and prognosis in children with viral meningitis

Zhang Yanzhi; Jing Xiaowei; He Junhua; Wang Zhuyan; Yang Jiehui

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1671-6450.2025.06.013

Abstract：Objective To investigate the relationship between serum microRNA-132(miR-132),phosphatase and tensin homolog(PTEN)levels,and the disease severity and prognosis of children with viral meningitis(VM).Methods A total of 203 children diagnosed with VM at Shanxi Children's Hospital from January 2022 to March 2024 were enrolled in the VM group.The healthy control group consisted of 50 children undergoing health checks during the same period.VM patients were classified into mild(77 cases),moderate(67 cases),and severe(59 cases)VM subgroups according to the Glasgow Co-ma Scale(GCS)score.Based on 6-month prognosis,the children were further divided into poor and good prognosis sub-groups.Serum miR-132 and PTEN levels were detected by real-time quantitative PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent as-say.The TargetScan database was used to predict the binding site between miR-132 and PTEN.Pearson correlation analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between serum miR-132 and PTEN levels,and Spearman rank correlation analysis was performed to assess their relationship with GCS scores.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between serum miR-132 and PTEN levels and the prognosis of VM patients.The predictive performance of se-rum miR-132 and PTEN levels for prognosis was analyzed using ROC curves.Results Compared with the healthy control group,serum miR-132 levels were lower,and PTEN levels were higher in the VM group(t/P=12.097/＜0.001,13.517/＜0.001).There was a binding site between miR-132 and PTEN at the 3'-untranslated region(1246-1252),and the serum miR-132 level was negatively correlated with PTEN(r/P=-0.656/＜0.001).Serum miR-132 levels decreased,and PTEN levels increased in the mild,moderate,and severe VM subgroups(F/P=298.691/＜0.001,358.809/＜0.001).The GCS score was positively correlated with serum miR-132 levels and negatively correlated with PTEN levels(r/P=0.660/＜0.001,-0.695/＜0.001).After 6 months of follow-up,the poor prognosis rate was 34.48％(70/203)in the VM group.Seizures and high PTEN levels were in-dependent risk factors for poor prognosis,while high GCS scores and high miR-132 levels were independent protective factors[OR(95％CI)=3.035(1.083-8.506),1.428(1.207-1.689),0.678(0.572-0.802),0.299(0.176-0.509)].The AUC for predicting poor prognosis in VM children using serum miR-132,PTEN,and their combination were 0.836,0.822,and 0.914,respectively.The combined prediction was superior to either alone(Z/P=2.202/0.028,2.579/0.010).Conclusion Reduced serum miR-132 levels and increased PTEN levels in children with VM are associated with more severe disease and poorer prognosis.The combined use of serum miR-132 and PTEN levels has a high predictive value for the prognosis of VM children.