miRNAs as Regulators of the Early Local Response to Burn Injuries

In burn injuries, risk factors and limitations to treatment success are difficult to assess clinically. However, local cellular responses are characterized by specific gene-expression patterns. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded, non-coding RNAs that regulate mRNA expression on a posttranscriptional level. Secreted through exosome-like vesicles (ELV), miRNAs are intracellular signalers and epigenetic regulators. To date, their role in the regulation of the early burn response remains unclear. Here, we identified 43 miRNAs as potential regulators of the early burn response through the bioinformatics analysis of an existing dataset. We used an established human ex vivo skin model of a deep partial-thickness burn to characterize ELVs and miRNAs in dermal interstitial fluid (dISF). Moreover, we identified miR-497-5p as stably downregulated in tissue and dISF in the early phase after a burn injury. MiR-218-5p and miR-212-3p were downregulated in dISF, but not in tissue. Target genes of the miRNAs were mainly upregulated in tissue post-burn. The altered levels of miRNAs in dISF of thermally injured skin mark them as new biomarker candidates for burn injuries. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report miRNAs altered in the dISF in the early phase of deep partial-thickness burns.