Circulating miR-181a as a Potential Novel Biomarker for Diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background: In this study, we tested the hypothesis that miR-181a levels increase during acute myocardial infarction. We investigated circulating miR-181a as a potential novel biomarker for early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods: From June 2014 to June 2016, 120 consecutive eligible patients with AMI (n = 60) or unstable angina (UA; n = 60) and 60 control subjects were enrolled. Plasma miR-181a levels were determined by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

Results: Circulating miR-181a expression levels detected immediately after admission were higher in the AMI group than in the UA and control groups. Relative miR-181a levels in AMI patients were positively correlated with the concentrations of the creatine kinase-MB fraction and cardiac troponin I. Correlation analysis showed that plasma miR-181a was positively correlated with coronary Gensini score (r = 0.573, P < 0.05) and negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (r = -0.489, P < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses showed that plasma miR-181a was of significant diagnostic value for AMI (AUC, 0.834; 95% CI, 0.756-0.912, P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Circulating miR-181a levels in patients with AMI were significantly changed in a time-dependent manner, indicating the value of plasma miR-181a as a novel biomarker for diagnosing AMI.