Identification and evaluation of circulating exosomal miRNAs for the diagnosis of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Abstract

Abstract Background Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) is a common condition that leads to a loss of bone density and an increased risk of fractures in women. Recent evidence suggests that exosomal miRNAs are involved in regulating bone development and osteogenesis. However, exosomal miRNAs as biomarkers for PMOP diagnosis have not been systematically evaluated. In this study, we aim to identify PMOP-associated circulating exosomal miRNAs and evaluate their diagnostic performance. Methods We performed next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of plasma exosomal miRNAs from 12 PMOP patients and 12 non-osteoporosis controls to identify PMOP-associated exosomal miRNAs, and then validated them in an independent natural community cohort with 26 PMOP patients and 21 non-osteoporosis controls. Exosomes were isolated with the size exclusion chromatography method from the plasma of elder postmenopausal women. The plasma exosomal miRNA profiles were characterized in PMOP paired with controls with next-generation sequencing. Potential plasma exosomal miRNAs were validated by qRT-PCR in the validation cohort, and their performance in diagnosing PMOP was systematically evaluated with the receiver operating characteristic curve. Results Twenty-seven miRNAs were identified as differentially expressed in PMOP versus controls in sequencing data, of which six exosomal miRNAs (miR-196-5p, miR-224-5p, miR320d, miR-34a-5p, miR-9-5p, and miR-98-5p) were confirmed to be differentially expressed in PMOP patients by qRT-PCR in the validation cohort. The three miRNAs combination (miR-34a-5p + miR-9-5p + miR-98-5p) demonstrated the best diagnostic performance, with an AUC = 0.734. In addition, the number of pregnancies was found to be an independent risk factor that can improve the performance of exosomal miRNAs in diagnosing PMOP. Conclusions These results suggested that the plasma exosomal miRNAs had the potential to serve as noninvasive diagnostic biomarkers for PMOP.