Plasma neurotransmitter and circulating exosomal microRNA landmarks during heroin and methamphetamine withdrawal

Despite decades of research in the field of substance withdrawal, the mechanisms involving the communications between peripheral and central nerves system remain largely elusive. In addition to previous identified neurotransmitters, circulating miRNA are found in small vesicles known as exosomes within blood and other biofluids, which may have revealed diagnostic potential and contributed to the human psychiatry diseases. The aim of this work was to describe the changes in the neurotransmitter and exosomal miRNA profiles short-term and long-term after the course of substance withdrawal using a cross-sectional study design. The neurotransmitter and exosomal miRNA present in plasma were determined using UPLC-MS/MS and the next-generation deep sequencing, respectively.