Extracellular RNA dimension in alternative medicine: processing–dependent integrity and bioactivity of honeysuckle miRNA MIR2911

For decades, the bioactive constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have been assumed to consist predominantly of chemical small molecules such as alkaloids, ketones, steroids, and terpenoids. 1 , 2 , 3 In contrast, nucleic acids received little attention owing to the long–standing belief that they are unstable in decoctions and cannot survive gastrointestinal digestion. Recent studies have overturned this assumption by showing that certain TCM–derived miRNAs can withstand the traditional decoction process, can be absorbed intact, and retain therapeutic activity. 4 , 5 Despite these advances, RNA components have yet to be incorporated into the assessment of TCM quality, processing methods, or clinical application. As a result, a substantial gap persists between emerging molecular evidence and current pharmaceutical practice. In this work, we employ MIR2911 from honeysuckle ( Lonicera japonica ) as a representative to investigate how different origins, processing approaches and extraction methods affect the integrity, stability, bioavailability, and antiviral efficacy of medicinal RNAs.