Background and purpose: We tested the hypothesis that circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) present in plasma might display a specific signature in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage.
Methods: Global miRNA profiles were determined with the Agilent Human miRNA Microarray platform, and validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
Results: A subset of 30 miRNAs were selectively upregulated in both male and female patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Network analysis revealed that the most significantly overrepresented biological process associated with these miRNAs was inflammation. Unlike the plasma miRNAs in healthy controls, which were detected exclusively in the microvesicle fraction, the deregulated plasma miRNAs after intracerebral hemorrhage were present in both the microvesicle and the supernatant fractions.
Conclusions: Intracerebral hemorrhage altered both the abundance and the compartmentalization of several inflammation-related miRNAs in plasma.
Keywords: intracerebral hemorrhage; microRNA; microvesicle; plasma.