Stability Of Microrna As Biological Markers For Autologous Blood Transfusion Identification

Autologous blood transfusion (ABT) is the process of drawing and reinfusing whole blood, or blood components into the athlete’s system causing an improvement in oxygen carrying capacity by increasing concentration of erythrocytes. Select mature microRNAs (miRNA) have shown potential to be a strong biomarker for detection of ABT due to their role in regulation of many physiological processes. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine if circulating concentrations of miRNA-26b, miRNA-30b, and miRNA-30c change in response to an acute bout of exercise. METHODS: Participants were healthy young adults (n = 12; Age 24.16 +/- 3.04; weight 76.88 kg +/-10.84 kg; body composition 16.32% +/- 4.84%; V02 max 39.23 +/- 4.09 ml*kg-1*min-1). Participants completed an exercise trial on a cycle ergometer at 60% of their V02 max for 60 min. Serum samples were collected pre- and post-exercise. RNA was extracted from serum samples using a Qiagen miRNeasy kit, complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesized, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to analyze expression of miRNAs. RESULTS: Circulating miRNA-26b and miRNA-30b remained stable following acute exercise (p > 0.05), while circulating miRNA-30c decreased significantly post-exercise (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Circulating miRNA-26b and miRNA-30b may be optimal targets for longitudinal monitoring for ABT detection, such as as a part of the Athlete Biological Passport, due to their stability in response to exercise. Supported by: This research is supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the NIGMS of the NIH under grant number P20GM103443.