What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to clarify the role of micrornas in primary hypertension and their response to exercise in children.

June 3, 2026Journal of Hypertension0 citations

The Role of Circulating Plasma Micrornas in Pediatric Patients With Untreated Primary Hypertension: Baseline Expression and Exercise-Induced Changes

MSMichał Szyszka CEC Eyileten KSKarolina Skubisz

Key Points

This study aims to clarify the role of micrornas in primary hypertension and their response to exercise in children.
Pre-post study design involving 56 untreated hypertensive children and 59 healthy controls.
Assessment of plasma microrna levels and various clinical parameters before and after standardized aerobic exercise session.
Correlation analysis between microrna expressions and blood pressure metrics, including ROC and multivariate analysis for predictive power.
Significant baseline underexpression of microrna-27b and microrna-133a in hypertensive children (p<0.001).
Post-exercise, microrna-145 expression increased significantly in hypertensive children (p=0.001) compared to controls.
Significant reduction in both office and ABPM measurements in hypertensive children after exercise (SBP -3.7 mmHg, DBP -3.5 mmHg, p=0.006).

Abstract

Objective: The role of microRNA in primary hypertension remains unclear. This study examined the expression of microRNA–16, -21, -27a, -27b, -133a, and -145 in untreated hypertensive children, their response to aerobic exercise, and correlations with blood pressure and related parameters. Design and method: A pre-post study included 56 hypertensive (SG - study group; age 15.4±1.9) and 59 healthy children (CG - control group; age 15.3±1.6). Plasma microRNA levels and clinical, biochemical, blood pressure, vascular, and hypertension-mediated organ damage (HMOD) parameters were assessed before and after one session of standardized aerobic exercise. Results: The baseline relative microRNA-27b (p<0.001) and microRNA-133a (p=0.018) expressions were significantly lower in the SG; similarly, after an exercise bout (both p=0.001). After an exercise bout, the expression of microRNA-27b, -133a, and -145 increased in CG (p=0.044, p=0.001 and p=0.003), whereas only the expression of microRNA-145 increased in SG (p=0.001). In SG, microRNA-16, -21, -27a, and -145 correlated positively with pre-exercise blood pressure. There were no correlations between the analyzed microRNA particles and parameters of HMOD. ROC analysis identified the best prognostic profile for relative microRNA-27b expression as a predictor of the absence of primary hypertension (AUC: 0.699, CI: (0.60-0.80) p<0.001 and AUC: 0.629, CI (0.53-0.73) p=0.018). Mulativariate analysis revealed the relative microRNA-16 expression as the only significant predictor of elevated diastolic blood pressure. What is more, hypertensive children showed a significant decrease in both office and ABPM measurements (peripheral and central) after exercise (office SBP -3,7 mmHg and DBP -3,5 mmHg, p=0.006). In contrast, the CG showed no changes in BP, except for an increase in 24-hour SBP.Conclusions: MicroRNA-27b, as well as microRNA-133a, are underexpressed in children with PH. These particles may help diagnose hypertension in children and may also play a protective role against the development of hypertension. MicroRNA-16 may serve as a marker of diastolic hypertension. Blood pressure significantly decreased following a standardized exercise session in children with primary hypertension.

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