Dynamic Changes in Extracellular Vesicle-Associated miRNAs Elicited by Abdominal Ultrasound in Peripheral Blood of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients

Blood-based biomarkers that reliably indicate disease activity in the intestinal tract are an important unmet need in the management of patients with IBD. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived membranous microparticles, which reflect the cellular and functional state of their site of site of origin. As ultrasound waves may lead to an increased release of EVs, we hypothesized that application of ultrasound waves on inflamed intestinal tissue in IBD may amplify the release of tissue-specific EVs, which in turn can be detected in the peripheral blood. Overall design: 26 patients with IBD were included in the prospective clinical study. Serum samples were collected before and 30 minutes after diagnostic transabdominal ultrasound. Differential miRNA expression was analyzed by sequencing.