title: Increased Brain-Specific MiR-9 and MiR-124 in the Serum Exosomes of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients.
abstract: The aims of this study were to examine the alternation in serum exosome concentrations and the levels of serum exosomal miR-9 and miR-124, two brain-specific miRNAs, in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients and to explore the predictive values of these miRNAs for AIS diagnosis and damage evaluation. Sixty-five patients with AIS at the acute stage were enrolled and 66 non-stroke volunteers served as controls. Serum exosomes isolated by ExoQuick precipitations were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle-tracking analysis and western blotting. The levels of exosomal miR-9 and miR-124 were determined by real-time quantitative PCR. Compared with controls, the concentration of serum exosomes and the median levels of serum exosomal miR-9 and miR-124 were significantly higher in AIS patients (p<0.01). The levels of both miR-9 and miR-124 were positively correlated with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, infarct volumes and serum concentrations of IL-6. The areas under the curve for exosomal miR-9 and miR-124 were 0.8026 and 0.6976, respectively. This proof of concept study suggests that serum exosomal miR-9 and miR-124 are promising biomarkers for diagnosing AIS and evaluating the degree of damage caused by ischemic injury. However, further studies are needed to explore the potential roles of the exosomes released from brain tissues in post stroke complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.|Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China.
authors.forename: Qiuhong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangdong, China.|Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, China.
authors.forename: Yuhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, China.
authors.forename: Jingwen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, College of Life Science and Technology, Jinan University, Guangdong, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China.
authors.forename: Xinya
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America.
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China.
authors.forename: Tian
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu