International Journal of Nanomedicine (Jul 2019)
Exosomal microRNA profiling in early and late onset preeclamptic pregnant women reflects pathophysiology
Abstract
Preenan Pillay,1 Manu Vatish,2 Raquel Duarte,3 Jack Moodley,4 Irene Mackraj51Discipline of Human Physiology, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; 2Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, Women’s Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; 3Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; 4Women’s Health and HIV Research Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; 5School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban, South AfricaBackground: Preeclampsia is the leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality due to the inability to diagnose and treat the disorder early in pregnancy. This is attributed to the complex pathophysiology and unknown etiology of the disorder, which is modulated by several known and unknown factors. Exosomes have recently been implicated as possible mediators of the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, with, however, no evidence linking these nanovesicles to the pathophysiology of preeclampsia and its subtypes.Methods: To better understand the pathophysiological role of exosomes in preeclampsia, we have analyzed the exosomal microRNA in early and late onset preeclamptic women in comparison to their gestationally matched normotensive controls using Digital Direct Detection (NanoString Technologies).Results: For the first time, distinct exosomal microRNA signatures in early and late onset preeclampsia have been identified. Moreover, these signatures indicate that exosomes are involved in key pathological features associated with preeclampsia and differentiate between the subtypes.Conclusion: This study forms the basis for the diagnostic and functional validation of the identified signatures as biomarkers of preeclampsia and its subtypes.Keywords: biomarkers, preeclampsia, exosomes, microRNA
