Exosomal microRNA Differential Expression in Plasma of Young Adults with Chronic Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Healthy Control

Rany Vorn; Maiko Suarez; Jacob C White; Carina A Martin; Hyung-Suk Kim; Chen Lai; Si-Jung Yun; Jessica M Gill; Hyunhwa Lee

doi:10.3390/biomedicines10010036

Exosomal microRNA Differential Expression in Plasma of Young Adults with Chronic Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Healthy Control

Biomedicines. 2021 Dec 24;10(1):36. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines10010036.

Authors

Rany Vorn¹, Maiko Suarez², Jacob C White³, Carina A Martin¹, Hyung-Suk Kim¹, Chen Lai¹, Si-Jung Yun⁴, Jessica M Gill^{5

6}, Hyunhwa Lee⁷

Affiliations

¹ National Institute of Nursing Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
² School of Medicine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89102, USA.
³ College of Liberal Arts, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA.
⁴ Yotta Biomed, LLC, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA.
⁵ School of Nursing and Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
⁶ Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Science, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
⁷ School of Nursing, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA.

Abstract

Chronic mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has long-term consequences, such as neurological disability, but its pathophysiological mechanism is unknown. Exosomal microRNAs (exomiRNAs) may be important mediators of molecular and cellular changes involved in persistent symptoms after mTBI. We profiled exosomal microRNAs (exomiRNAs) in plasma from young adults with or without a chronic mTBI to decipher the underlying mechanisms of its long-lasting symptoms after mTBI. We identified 25 significantly dysregulated exomiRNAs in the chronic mTBI group (n = 29, with 4.48 mean years since the last injury) compared to controls (n = 11). These miRNAs are associated with pathways of neurological disease, organismal injury and abnormalities, and psychological disease. Dysregulation of these plasma exomiRNAs in chronic mTBI may indicate that neuronal inflammation can last long after the injury and result in enduring and persistent post-injury symptoms. These findings are useful for diagnosing and treating chronic mTBIs.

Keywords: exomiRNA; exosome; microRNA; mild traumatic brain injury.

Abstract

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