Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy complication with high maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality rates. During pregnancy, the concentration of exosomes in the maternal blood circulation would increase, establishing that plasma exosomes play a role in the development of pregnancy. Our previous study implied the important role of exosomal miR-199a-5p in preeclampsia with severe features (sPE). This study aims to reveal the role of exosomal miR-199a-5p in contribution to the development of sPE. The results showed that the expression of miR-199a-5p was significantly higher in plasma exosomes and placenta tissue from patients with sPE than that in normal pregnant women. Additionally, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) could upregulate the expression of miR-199a-5p in BeWo cells and cell-derived exosomes. In terms of the regulatory effect, exosomal miR-199a-5p was observed to inhibit the expression of SIRT1 in human umbilical venous endothelial cells (HUVECs). Moreover, the treatment of both miR-199a-5p-overexpressed exosomes and SIRT1 inhibitor EX527 could decrease the nitric oxide production, elevate the intracellular reactive oxygen species level, and enhance the expressions of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 of HUVECs. Thus, our findings suggest that the upregulated plasma exosomal miR-199a-5p in sPE might result from the trophoblast of the impaired placenta under oxidative stress. Furthermore, exosomal miR-199a-5p could impair the endothelial cell function via targeting SIRT1, contributing to the development of preeclampsia.
Keywords: Hypertension; MicroRNA; Oxidative stress; Placenta; Trophoblast.
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society for Reproductive Investigation.