Extracellular Vesicles Released by Hepatocytes From Gastric Infusion Model of Alcoholic Liver Disease Contain a MicroRNA Barcode That Can Be Detected in Blood

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released during cell stress, or demise, can contain a barcode of the cell origin, including specific microRNAs (miRNAs). Here, we tested the hypothesis that during early alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH) development, hepatocytes (HCs) release EVs with an miRNA signature that can be measured in circulation. A time-course experiment showed that after 2 weeks of intragastric infusion, a time point that results in isolated steatosis, there was no increase of blood EVs. After 4 weeks of infusion, mice developed features of early ASH accompanied by a marked increase in the level of EVs in blood (P < 0.05), as well as in culture media of isolated HCs (P < 0.001) and hepatic macrophages (P < 0.001), with HCs being the predominant source of EVs. The transcriptome analysis of HC-EVs from ASH mice detected differentially expressed miRNAs, including nine significantly up-regulated and four significantly down-regulated miRNAs. Target prediction and pathway analyses of the up-regulated miRNAs identified 121 potential target genes involved in inflammatory and cancer pathways, such as nuclear factor kappa B, EGF, Wnt, and B-cell lymphoma 2. Three miRNAs, let7f, miR-29a, and miR-340, were increased in blood EVs from ASH mice (P < 0.05), but not in blood EVs from three other models of chronic liver injury, including bile duct ligation, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, and obese mice, as well as EVs released from hepatocytes exposed to ethanol. Blood EV level (P < 0.01) and three miRNAs (P < 0.05) were significantly increased in patients with ambulatory mild ALD as compared to nonalcoholics. Conclusion: Damaged hepatocytes from ASH mice are a key EV source with a specific miRNA cargo, which are specific for ASH-related liver injury. These findings uncover EVs as a potentially novel diagnostic for ASH.