Associations of Circulating microRNA-221 and 222 With the Severity of Coronary Artery Lesions in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients

• Published in: Angiology 2022-07, Vol.73 (6), p.579-587
• Main Authors: Yu, Xin, Xu, Jian-feng, Song, Ming, Zhang, Lei, Li, Yi-hui, Han, Lu, Tang, Meng-xiong, Zhang, Wei, Zhong, Ming, Wang, Zhi-hao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0003-3197; 1940-1574
• DOI: 10.1177/00033197211034286

Circulating levels of microRNA-221 and 222 (miR-221/222) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) are elevated, yet the relationship between circulating miR-221/222 and the severity of coronary lesions in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains unknown. In this study, the relative expression levels of circulating miR-221/222 in patients with ACS (n = 267) and controls (n = 71) were compared by real-time fluorescence quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The ACS group was further divided into unstable angina pectoris (UA) group (n = 191) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) group (n = 76). Significant upregulation of circulating miR-221/222 was observed in ACS. A positive linear correlation between circulating miR-221/222 and Gensini scores was demonstrated. The area under the curve (AUC) of circulating miR-221/222 in the diagnosis of coronary artery stenosis ≥50% was 0.605 and 0.643, respectively. The circulating miRNA-221/222 expression levels in ACS patients were elevated and positively associated with the severity of the coronary artery lesions. Circulating miR-221/222 may be novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of coronary artery stenosis ≥50% and the occurrence of ACS.