The miRNA profiles of amniotic fluid-derived extracellular vesicles and fetal lung tissue of nitrofen-induced congenital diaphragmatic hernia rat model.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a life-threatening anomaly with high morbidity and mortality. To investigate the pathogenesis of CDH, miRNA sequencing was performed using amniotic fluid-derived extracellular vesicles (AF-EVs) and fetal lung tissue of nitrofen-induced CDH rat model. We used three pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats in this study. On day 9 of the pregnancy, two rats received 100 mg of nitrofen dissolved in 1 mL of olive oil, and two rats received olive oil alone. On day 21, the rats were sacrificed, and AF-EVs of each fetus were collected using cellulose nanofiber-based EV sheets. Then, we checked the presence of CDH. In this study, we used six nitrofen-treated fetuses with CDH, six nitrofen-treated fetuses without CDH, and three olive oil-treated control fetuses. Total RNAs were extracted from the lung and corresponding AF-EVs, and miRNA sequencing was performed.