Circulating miRNome of Trachemys scripta after elective gonadectomy

Pain management is an important issue in veterinary medicine, requiring biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity for the timely and effective treatment. Emerging evidence suggests that miRNAs are promising pain-related markers. The aims were to profile the circulating miRNA signature in plasma of turtles (Trachemys scripta) and point out potential candidate biomarkers of pain. Plasma of female turtles underwent surgical gonadectomy were collected 24h pre-surgery, and 2.5h and 36 h post-surgery. The expression of miRNAs was profiled by Next Generation Sequencing and the dysregulated miRNAs were validated using RT-qPCR. The diagnostic value of miRNAs was calculated by ROC curves. Overall design: Plasma from eight female turtles, undergoing to surgical gonadectomy, were collected at 24h pre-surgery, 2.5h and 36 h post-surgery .