COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy: Pilot Study for Maternal and Neonatal MicroRNA Profiles

Wei-Chun Chen; Shu-Yu Hu; Ching-Fen Shen; Mei-Hsiu Cheng; Jun-Jie Hong; Ching-Ju Shen; Chao-Min Cheng

doi:10.3390/vaccines11121814

COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy: Pilot Study for Maternal and Neonatal MicroRNA Profiles

Vaccines (Basel). 2023 Dec 4;11(12):1814. doi: 10.3390/vaccines11121814.

Authors

Wei-Chun Chen^{1

2

3

4

5}, Shu-Yu Hu¹, Ching-Fen Shen⁶, Mei-Hsiu Cheng⁷, Jun-Jie Hong⁷, Ching-Ju Shen⁸, Chao-Min Cheng^{1

4}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan.
² Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan.
³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, New Taipei City Municipal Tucheng Hospital, New Taipei City 236, Taiwan.
⁴ International Intercollegiate Ph.D. Program, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan.
⁵ School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
⁷ Taiwan Business Development Department, Inti Taiwan, Inc., Hsinchu 302, Taiwan.
⁸ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.

Abstract

This pilot study explores alterations in miRNA profiles among pregnant women and their neonates upon receiving different doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Blood samples, including maternal blood (MB) and neonatal cord blood (CB), collected from five pregnant women were scrutinized using the miRNA PanelChip Analysis System, identifying nine distinct miRNAs, including miR-451a and miR-1972, which exhibited significant downregulation with two vaccine doses in both MB and CB. When compared with women vaccinated with four doses, miR-486-5p, miR-451a, and miR-1972 in the two-dose group also showed notable downregulation. Evaluating recipients of three and four doses, miR-423-5p and miR-1972 expression were significantly reduced in both MB and CB. Further comparative analysis highlighted a decline in miR-223-3p expression with increasing vaccine doses, while miR15a-5p, miR-16-5p, and miR-423-5p showed an upward trend. Notably, miR-451a, miR-1972, and miR-423-5p levels varied across doses and were associated with pathways such as "PI3K-Akt", "neurotrophin signaling", and "cortisol synthesis", suggesting the profound influence of vaccination on diverse molecular mechanisms. Our research has uncovered that escalating vaccine dosages impact miRNA profiles, which may be associated with the immunological response mechanisms in both the mother and fetus, thus indicating a substantial impact of vaccination on various molecular processes.

Keywords: COVID-19 vaccines; Moderna; Pfizer BioNTech; SARS-CoV-2; cord blood; miRNA; neonatal; pregnant.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by Taiwan’s Chang Gung Medical Foundation (grant numbers “CRRPG2L0011”, “CMRPG2L0261”, “CMRPGVVL0282”, and “CMRPVVN0121”), Taiwan’s National Science and Technology Council (grant numbers “112-2622-E-007-028), and Taiwan’s National Tsing Hua University (grant numbers “112F7MBOE1” and “112Q2301E1”).