Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40806764›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of molecular sciences2025

Profile of Selected MicroRNAs as Markers of Sex-Specific Anti-S/RBD Response to COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine in Health Care Workers.

Simona Anticoli, Maria Dorrucci, Elisabetta Iessi, Salvatore Zaffina, Rita Carsetti, Nicoletta Vonesch, Paola Tomao, Anna Ruggieri

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of molecular sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Simona AnticoliReference Center for Gender-Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità [Italian National Institute of Health], 00161 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-3238-3280
Maria DorrucciDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità [Italian National Institute of Health], 00161 Rome, Italy.
Elisabetta IessiReference Center for Gender-Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità [Italian National Institute of Health], 00161 Rome, Italy.
Salvatore ZaffinaOccupational Health Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, 00165 Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-8858-5423
Rita CarsettiResearch Area of Immunology, B-Cell Lab, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, 00164 Rome, Italy.
Nicoletta VoneschDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), 00078 Monte Porzio Catone, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-1743-7893
Paola TomaoDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian Workers' Compensation Authority (INAIL), 00078 Monte Porzio Catone, Rome, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6690-0069
Anna RuggieriReference Center for Gender-Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità [Italian National Institute of Health], 00161 Rome, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Sex-based immunological differences significantly influence the outcome of vaccination, yet the molecular mediators underpinning these differences remain largely elusive. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), key post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, have emerged as critical modulators of innate and adaptive immune responses. In this study, we investigated the expression profile of selected circulating miRNAs as potential biomarkers of sex-specific humoral responses to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in a cohort of health care workers. Plasma samples were collected longitudinally at a defined time point (average 71 days) post-vaccination and analyzed using RT-qPCR to quantify a panel of immune-relevant miRNAs. Anti-spike (anti-S) IgG titers were measured by chemiluminescent immunoassays. Our results revealed sex-dependent differences in miRNA expression dynamics, with miR-221-3p and miR-148a-3p significantly overexpressed in vaccinated female HCWs and miR-155-5p overexpressed in vaccinated males. MiR-148a-3p showed a significant association with anti-S/RBD (RBD: receptor binding domain) IgG levels in a sex-specific manner. Bioinformatic analysis for miRNA targets indicated distinct regulatory networks and pathways involved in innate and adaptive immune responses, potentially underlying the differential immune activation observed between males and females. These findings support the utility of circulating miRNAs as minimally invasive biomarkers for monitoring and predicting sex-specific vaccine-induced immune responses and provide mechanistic insights that may inform tailored vaccination strategies.

Indexed as

COVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesHealth PersonnelMicroRNAsSARS-CoV-2Spike Glycoprotein, CoronavirusAdultAntibodies, ViralBiomarkersFemaleHumansImmunoglobulin GMaleMiddle AgedSex FactorsAntibodies, ViralBiomarkersCOVID-19 VaccinesImmunoglobulin GMicroRNAsSpike Glycoprotein, Coronavirusspike protein, SARS-CoV-2anti-S/RBDCOVID-19health care workersmicroRNAsexvaccine

Identifiers

PMID40806764
PMCPMC12346932

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.