Plasma levels of liver-specific miR-122 is massively increased in a porcine cardiogenic shock model and attenuated by hypothermia.

Tissue-specific circulating micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are released into the blood after organ injury. In an ischemic porcine cardiogenic shock model, we investigated the release pattern of cardiac-specific miR-208b and liver-specific miR-122 and assessed the effect of therapeutic hypothermia on their respective plasma levels. Pigs were anesthetized, and cardiogenic shock was induced by inflation of a percutaneous coronary intervention balloon in the proximal left anterior descending artery for 40 min followed by reperfusion. After fulfillment of the predefined shock criteria, the pigs were randomized to hypothermia (33°C, n = 6) or normothermia (38°C, n = 6). Circulating miRNAs were extracted from plasma and measured with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Tissue specificity was assessed by miRNA extraction from porcine tissues followed by quantitative real-time PCR. In vitro, the release of miR-122 from a cultured hepatocyte cell line exposed to either hypoxia or acidosis was assessed by real-time PCR. miR-122 was found to be highly liver specific, whereas miR-208b was expressed exclusively in the heart. In the control group, ischemic cardiogenic shock induced a 460,000-fold and a 63,000-fold increase in plasma levels of miR-122 (P < 0.05) and miR-208b (P < 0.05), respectively. Therapeutic hypothermia significantly diminished the increase in miR-122 compared with the normothermic group (P < 0.005). In our model, hypothermia was initiated after coronary reperfusion and did not affect either myocardial damage as previously assessed by magnetic resonance imaging or the plasma level of miR-208b. Our results indicate that liver-specific miR-122 is released into the circulation in the setting of cardiogenic shock and that therapeutic hypothermia significantly reduces the levels of miR-122.