Optimized methods for extracting circulating small RNAs from long-term stored equine samples

Circulating miRNAs in body fluids, particularly serum, are promising candidates for future routine biomarker profiling in various pathologic conditions in human and veterinary medicine. However, reliable standardized methods for miRNA extraction from equine serum and fresh or archived whole blood are sorely lacking. We systematically compared various miRNA extraction methods from serum and whole blood after short and long-term storage without addition of RNA stabilizing additives prior to freezing. Time of storage at room temperature prior to freezing did not affect miRNA quality in serum. Furthermore, we showed that miRNA of NGS-sufficient quality can be recovered from blood samples after >10 years of storage at −80 °C. This allows retrospective analyses of miRNAs from archived samples. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13028-016-0224-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.