Abstract
Background Pre-eclampsia remains a leading cause of maternal and foetal mortality with a poorly understood pathophysiology. It can lead to a range of clinical presentations, but proteinuria and hypertension are key components of the diagnosis. These signs arise due to disordered placental implantation due to poor trophoblastic invasion, resulting in placental oxidative stress due to hypoxia. Oxidative stress triggers the release of syncytiotrophoblast microvesicles (STMBs), of which placenta-derived exosomes may be a key component. The high specificity of exosomes for their cell of origin makes them ideal candidates as diagnostic biomarkers. We are particularly interested in the miRNAs (microRNAs) contained within these exosomes, as they may give us an insight into the genomic regulation within the pre-eclamptic placenta that leads to the disease state. The development of workflows for miRNA quantitation may enable us to identify novel biomarkers. Methods We extracted exosomes and purified total RNA from 23 serum samples using the Norgen Plasma/Serum Exosome Purification and RNA Isolation Midi Kit. We then used the bioanalyser to determine the concentration and quality of the RNA obtained. It uses rapid electrophoresis, requires minimal sample sizes, and can assess the quality of genetic material as small as 25 bases. Results We have successfully isolated RNA from these samples; however, the concentration of the total RNA was too low for downstream molecular analysis. We did gain insight into how to optimise and develop the workflow so that, with each attempt, the yield increased. Our greatest concentrations were obtained by combining serum samples from multiple patients, demonstrating that we needed a higher volume to optimise the yield. Future studies should aim to obtain samples specifically for use in this research so that we can process a larger volume of serum. Conclusions We have also noted that there is a positive correlation between the overall concentration of total RNA and a high sFlt-1/PlGF ratio. Preliminary analysis from Illumina identified with a high degree of confidence the presence of three miRNAs, namely, mir-498(46), mir-122(1), and mir-134(41). Further work is necessary to validate these findings and should focus on the possible future role of these miRNAs as biomarkers for the early diagnosis of pre-eclampsia.