Profiling of plasma-derived exosomal RNA expression in patients with periodontitis: A pilot study

Objective This study aimed to profile differentially expressed (DE) exosomal RNAs in healthy subjects and periodontitis patients and compare their levels before and after treatment. Materials and methods Plasma samples from healthy subjects and patients with periodontitis (pre-/post-periodontal treatment) were collected for this case-control study. After isolation of exosomes from the plasma, the RNA was extracted and small RNA sequencing was performed (3 healthy samples, 4 pre-treatment samples, and 5 post-treatment samples). Two-way analyses were conducted according to the treatment status in the periodontitis group, unpaired analysis (grouping as pre-/post-treatment) and paired analysis (matching pre- and post-treatment in the same subject). The DE exosomal RNAs were screened by sequencing and visualized using the R software. Gene Ontology analysis was performed, and target genes were identified. Results In both paired and unpaired analyses, two DE microRNAs (DEmiRs; miR-1304-3p and miR-200c-3p) and two DE small nucleolar RNAs (DEsnoRs; SNORD57 and SNODB1771) were common, and they were found to be downregulated during periodontitis and recovered to healthy levels after treatment. The top three target genes (NR3C1, GPR158, and CNN3) commonly regulated by DEmiRs were identified. Conclusions Plasma-derived exosomal miRs (miR-1304-3p and miR-200c-3p) and snoRs (SNORD57 and SNODB1771) could be valuable biomarkers for periodontitis.

Automated summary

This study aimed to identify differentially expressed exosomal RNAs in healthy subjects and patients with periodontitis, and compare their levels before and after treatment. The results showed that two microRNAs and two small nucleolar RNAs were commonly downregulated during periodontitis and recovered to healthy levels after treatment. These exosomal RNAs could serve as potential biomarkers for periodontitis.