A Novel miRNA From Egg-Derived Exosomes of Promotes Liver Fibrosis in Murine Schistosomiasis.

Schistosomiasis caused by is a serious public health problem in China. Granuloma and hepatic fibrosis are the main pathological features of schistosomiasis japonica. The role and mechanism of egg-derived exosomes of in liver fibrosis remain unclear. In this study, we found that egg-derived exosomes of carry a new type of microRNA (miRNA-33). , this novel miRNA upregulated the expression of smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen 1 α1 (Col 1 α1) in the human hepatic stellate cell (LX-2) line at both mRNA and protein levels. , this novel miRNA was upregulated in the serum of infected mice, and when injected into mice through the tail vein using miRNA agomir, α-SMA, Col 1 α1, and Col 3 α1 were upregulated in liver tissue at both mRNA and protein levels. In addition, this novel miRNA downregulated the expression of α-SMA and Col 1 α1 in liver tissue at mRNA and protein levels in mice infected with and treated with miRNA antagomir. The novel miRNA-33 upregulated TGF-β Receptor I (TGF-β RI) at both mRNA and protein levels in LX-2 cells. Our results suggest that this novel miRNA from egg-derived exosomes of can promote liver fibrosis in the host in a cross-species manner, and the degree of fibrosis can be decreased by inhibiting the expression of this miRNA.