miRNAs as potential biomarkers for childhood epilepsy

Introduction: Epilepsy is one of the most common and devastating neurological diseases in pediatric patients This has led researchers to search for the molecular basis of the disease and to try to find a targeted treatment, which is an extremely difficult challenge due to the complexity of the etiopathogenesis of epilepsy. An alternative research option is focused on the search for biomarkers. miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs, 18-25 nucleotides long, which negatively regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by inhibiting protein translation or mRNA degradation. The aim of the study was to analyze the available literature focusing on the evaluation of changes in the expression profile of selected miRNAs in children with epilepsy.Materials and methods: The literature review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA Statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses). The search covered the period from September 1, 2010 to December 1, 2022. Results: 17 publications were included in the analysis. A growing trend of interest in the topic of miRNA use in epilepsy is evident, with most papers published in the last 5 years. Twenty-six different miRNAs were analyzed by PCR. The authors summarized articles assessing different miRNAs as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of epilepsy using a ROC curve. Conclusions: The number of studies investigating miRNAs as potential prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers for epilepsy is growing rapidly. However, the results of these studies need to be verified in independent cohorts also including children with epilepsy.