Drug Metabolism and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan.
Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2013 Oct 1;272(1):154-60. doi: 10.1016/j.taap.2013.05.018. Epub 2013 May 29.
Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are receiving attention as potential biomarkers of various diseases, including cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cardiovascular disease. However, it is unknown whether the levels of circulating miRNAs in a healthy subject might vary with external factors in daily life. In this study, we investigated whether cigarette smoking, a habit that has spread throughout the world and is a risk factor for various diseases, affects plasma miRNA profiles. We determined the profiles of 11 smokers and 7 non-smokers by TaqMan MicroRNA array analysis. A larger number of miRNAs were detected in smokers than in non-smokers, and the plasma levels of two-thirds of the detected miRNAs (43 miRNAs) were significantly higher in smokers than in non-smokers. A principal component analysis of the plasma miRNA profiles clearly separated smokers and non-smokers. Twenty-four of the miRNAs were previously reported to be potential biomarkers of disease, suggesting the possibility that smoking status might interfere with the diagnosis of disease. Interestingly, we found that quitting smoking altered the plasma miRNA profiles to resemble those of non-smokers. These results suggested that the differences in the plasma miRNA profiles between smokers and non-smokers could be attributed to cigarette smoking. In addition, we found that an acute exposure of ex-smokers to cigarette smoke (smoking one cigarette) did not cause a dramatic change in the plasma miRNA profile. In conclusion, we found that repeated cigarette smoking substantially alters the plasma miRNA profile, interfering with the diagnosis of disease or signaling potential smoking-related diseases.
循环 microRNAs（miRNAs）作为各种疾病（包括癌症、慢性阻塞性肺疾病和心血管疾病）的潜在生物标志物受到关注。然而，目前尚不清楚健康个体的循环 miRNAs 水平是否会因日常生活中的外部因素而变化。在这项研究中，我们研究了吸烟这一习惯是否会影响血浆 miRNA 谱，吸烟已在全世界范围内传播开来，是多种疾病的危险因素。我们通过 TaqMan MicroRNA 阵列分析确定了 11 名吸烟者和 7 名非吸烟者的 miRNA 图谱。吸烟者中检测到的 miRNAs 数量多于非吸烟者，并且检测到的三分之二 miRNAs（43 个 miRNA）的血浆水平在吸烟者中明显高于非吸烟者。对血浆 miRNA 图谱的主成分分析清楚地区分了吸烟者和非吸烟者。其中 24 个 miRNA 先前被报道为疾病的潜在生物标志物，这表明吸烟状态可能会干扰疾病的诊断。有趣的是，我们发现戒烟会使血浆 miRNA 谱发生改变，类似于非吸烟者的 miRNA 谱。这些结果表明，吸烟者和非吸烟者之间血浆 miRNA 谱的差异可能归因于吸烟。此外，我们发现，曾吸烟者（吸烟一支烟）急性暴露于香烟烟雾不会引起血浆 miRNA 谱的显著变化。总之，我们发现反复吸烟会显著改变血浆 miRNA 谱，干扰疾病的诊断或提示潜在的与吸烟相关的疾病。
