Sci Rep. 2026 Apr 28. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-49679-6. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
African American (AA) women face disproportionate cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk due to adverse social determinants of health (SDoH), including lower socioeconomic status (SES). Physical activity (PA) and plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) modulate CVD risk, but their relationships with SDoH remain unclear. This study examines associations between SDoH, PA, and plasma EVs in a Washington, DC-based cohort of at-risk AA women. Participants (N = 24, Age: 57 ± 12, BMI: 35 ± 6, ASCVD: 9 ± 5) joined the Step It Up Community-Engaged, Digital Health Physical Activity Intervention pilot study. EVs were isolated from fasting plasma samples. Multivariable regression, adjusted for BMI and ASCVD 10-year risk, showed that neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation (NSD) was associated with decreased EV size (β=-0.49, p = 0.01), while higher daily step count was associated with increased EV size (β = 0.48, p = 0.02). EV miRNA cargo, including miR-1246, miR-28-5p, and miR-765, showed distinct expression patterns with EV size, NSD, and PA. In vitro, endothelial cell (EC) barrier integrity directly correlated with miR-28-5p (r = 0.73, p = 0.007) and miR-765 (r=-0.58, p = 0.049). EC migration correlated negatively with miR-28-5p (r=-0.67, p = 0.02). Findings highlight smaller EV size associated with high NSD and low PA, suggesting miR-28-5p may be a biomarker or mediator for CVD pathogenesis. PA interventions may mitigate adverse SDoH effects and establish EV miRNA cargo as biomarkers and/or intervention mediators.
PMID:42049829 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-026-49679-6