Figure 2.
The exogenous mature plant miRNAs in food can pass through gastrointestinal (GI) tract and enter the sera and organs. (A) The levels of MIR168a, MIR156a, and MIR166a detected by qRT-PCR in fresh rice and chow diet (n = 6). Two endogenous animal miRNAs, miR-16, and miR-150, served as controls (insert). UD, undetectable. (B, C) The levels of MIR168a in mouse serum (B) and liver (C) after feeding with fresh rice or chow diet for 0.5 h, 3 h, or 6 h (n = 8). The control group (named 0 h) was euthanized after a 12-h of fasting. (D, E) The levels of MIR168a in mouse serum (D) and liver (E) following gavage feeding with RNA extracted from fresh rice (n = 8). After 0.5 h, 3 h, or 6 h, MIR168a levels were detected by qRT-PCR. The control group (0 h) was euthanized after a 12-h of fasting. (F, G) The levels of MIR168a in mouse serum (F) and liver (G) following gavage feeding with synthetic MIR168a and synthetic methylated MIR168a (n = 8). The control group was gavage fed with ncRNA. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01.