Determination of the serum miRNA expression profile in human moyamoya disease (MMD)

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a cerebrovascular disease characterized by progressive stenosis of the intracranial internal carotid arteries and their proximal branches. However, the etiology of this rare disease remains widely unknown. Serum microRNA (miRNA) profiles have been screened to identify novel biomarkers for disease diagnosis and prognosis. Here, we identified important serum miRNAs that might play important roles in contributing to MMD pathogenesis through microarray analysis. 10 MMD patients and 10 controls were consecutively recruited at Shanghai Changhai Hospital. Five-ml venous blood was collected from each participant and separated into serum and cellular fractions. We pooled serum samples from 10 MMD patients and 10 controls. Agilent Human 8 x 60K miRNA Array was performed on the two pooled samples.