Analysis of circRNA profiles and clinical value in Stevens‐Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis

Abstract Severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions, including Stevens‐Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), are challenging to be early diagnosed and evaluate their prognoses. This investigation aimed to analyse the expression profiles of SJS/TEN in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and assess the correlation between circular RNA (circRNA) and disease severity. Sixteen SJS/TEN patients and sixteen controls were enrolled and serum samples of both groups were obtained. CircRNA expression profiles in three SJS/TEN patients and three controls were detected by RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses were then performed. The differentially expressed circRNAs were verified by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Then, analysing the correlation of circRNAs with the toxic epidermal necrolysis‐specific severity of illness score (SCORTEN) and the epidermal detachment area. A total of 134 circRNAs were differentially expressed in the PBMCs of SJS/TEN individuals, according to our results. The qPCR showed that three circRNAs (hsa_circ_0000711, hsa_circ_0083619 and hsa_circ_0005615) were down‐regulated, and one circRNA (hsa_circ_0003028) was up‐regulated, which were compatible with the sequencing findings. The concentration of hsa_circ_0083619 was closely associated with the SCORTEN scale ( r = −0.581, p = 0.037) and the epidermal detachment area ( r = −0.576, p = 0.039). The circRNA‐miRNA‐mRNA prediction network was used to construct the hsa_circ_0083619/miR‐18a‐5p/BCL2L10 axis. The hsa_circ_0083619 could serve as a disease severity indicator for SJS/TEN. Through bioinformatics analysis, we speculated that hsa_circ_0083619/miR‐18a‐5p/BCL2L10 axis might play a role in SJS/TEN pathogenesis.