Long non-coding RNA Plasmacytoma variant 1 in acute ischemic stroke: association with disease risk, severity, and recurrence-free survival and relation with inflammatory cytokines

Objective: Long non-coding RNA plasmacytoma variant 1 (Lnc-PVT1) is implied with neuron apoptosis, inflammatory cytokines recruitment, endothelial cell proliferation, and angiogenesis; the latter are closely implicated in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) pathology. However, clinical significance of Lnc-PVT1 in AIS management remains unexplored. Thus, this study aimed to investigate this topic.

Methods: In total, 110 patients AIS and 110 controls were enrolled. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum were extracted from AIS patients and controls. Then, RT-qPCR was performed to determine the PBMC Lnc-PVT1 expression in AIS patients and controls. Besides, we used ELISA to evaluate serum interferon gamma (INF-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-17A in AIS patients. Additionally, in terms of recurrence-free survival (RFS) analysis, the Lnc-PVT1 expression was classified from quantile 1 to quantile 4 regarding the Lnc-PVT1 expression in AIS patients.

Results: AIS patients had higher Lnc-PVT1 expression compared with that in controls (P < 0.001) with a good supplementary diagnostic value for AIS (area under the curve (AUC) = 0.916 (95%CI 0.881-0.951). Furthermore, Lnc-PVT1 expression was positively linked with NIHSS score (r = 0.380, P < 0.001), IFN-γ (r = 0.217, P = 0.023), TNF-α (r = 0.311, P = 0.001), IL-6 (r = 0.235, P = 0.014), and IL-17A (r = 0.253, P = 0.008), separately. RFS of AIS patients with Lnc-PVT1 quantile 1-2 was higher than that of patients with Lnc-PVT1 quantile 3-4 somehow (P = 0.050).

Conclusion: Lnc-PVT1 not only correlates with AIS risk, inflammation, and disease severity, but also reveals a dependable value for AIS prognostication, which still needs further studies for validation.