Altered plasma exosome miRNAs and novel potential biomarkers in pediatric fulminant myocarditis

Previous studies have indicated that exosome-mediated intercellular microRNAs (miRNA) can influence fulminant myocarditis (FM) pathogenesis between immune and cardiac cells. This study explored plasma exosome miRNA profile in pediatric FM using a small RNA microarray. As per our analysis, we observed the differential expression of 266 miRNAs, including 197 upregulated and 69 downregulated candidate genes. Differentially expressed mRNAs in pediatric FM patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were intersected with miRNA target genes predicting tools to screen for FM-specific target genes. The hub genes and their biological and mechanistic pathways related to inflammation and/or the immune system were identified. CeRNA networks of lncRNAs, circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs between cardiomyocytes and PBMCs were finally established. Furthermore, we verified that hsa-miR-146a-5p, hsa-miR-23a-3p, and hsa-miR-27a-3p had higher expression levels in exosomes of pediatric FM patients by qRT-PCR, and hsa-miR-146a-5p shown high sensitivities and specificities for FM diagnosis. Overall, the results demonstrate that the exosome miRNAs play a regulatory role between immune and cardiac cells and provide research targets.