Profiling Circulating miRNAs from the Plasma of Individuals with Metabolic Syndrome

The technique of RT-qPCR (real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction) is invaluable in miRNA research both at the profiling and individual RT-qPCR stages. At the profiling stage, numerous miRNAs are looked at in the plasma of numerous individuals from two or more cohorts (i.e., control vs. case). The miRNAs of interest would be either upregulated or downregulated by more than twofold in the case cohort compared to the control cohort. Profiling human specimens for miRNA biomarkers has exploded over the last decade, with researchers profiling plasma, serum, urine, and also the miRNA content of extracellular vesicles, which are also isolated from human specimens. RT-qPCR is a relatively easy technique; however, sample preparation from plasma to RNA to RNA input in RT reaction requires accuracy and precision.