Inflammation-associated microRNA changes in circulating exosomes of heart failure patients

MiR-486 and miR-146a are cardiomyocyte-enriched microRNAs that control cell survival and self-regulation of inflammation. These microRNAs are released into circulation and are detected in plasma or in circulating exosomes. Little is known whether heart failure affects their release into circulation, which this study investigated.

Total and exosome-specific microRNAs in plasma of 40 heart failure patients and 20 controls were prepared using the miRVana Kit. We measured exosomal and total plasma microRNAs separately because exosomes serve as cargos that transfer biological materials and alter signaling in distant organs, whereas microRNAs in plasma indicate the level of tissue damage and are mostly derived from dead cells. qRT-PCR was used to quantify miR-486, miR-146a, and miR-16. Heart failure did not significantly affect plasma miR-486/miR-16 and miR-146a/miR-16 ratio, although miR-146a/miR-16 showed a trend of elevated expression (2.3 ± 0.79, p = 0.27). By contrast, circulating exosomal miR-146a/miR-16 ratio was higher in heart failure patients (2.46 ± 0.51, p = 0.05). miR-146a is induced in response to inflammation as a part of inflammation attenuation circuitry. Indeed, Tnfα and Gm-csf increased miR-146a but not miR-486 in the cardiomyocyte cell line H9C2. These results, if confirmed in a larger study, may help to develop circulating exosomal miR-146a as a biomarker of heart failure.