Distinct Expression Pattern of Circulating MiRNA-1, MiRNA-133a and Mirna-133b in STEMI and NSTEMI

INTRODUCTION: miR-1 miR-133a and miR-133b release into the circulation during the early stages of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, their discriminative expression pattern in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to characterize and compare the circulating miR-1, miR-133a and miR-133b expression levels in peripheral blood samples of ACS patients to determine their discriminative expression pattern of STEMI or NSTEMI. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples were taken from 54 patients with ACS (27 STEMI, 27 NSTEMI) and 20 healthy volunteers. The expression levels of miR-1, miR-133a and miR-133b were measured by qRT-PCR. The association of miRNA expressions and characteristics of STEMI and NSTEMI patients were evaluated using a web-based program 'RT2 Profiler PCR Array Data Analysis'. RESULTS: The expression levels of miR-1, miR-133a and miR-133b were higher in ACS than the control group (P< 0.05). However, the expression pattern of miRNAs differs between STEMI and NSTEMI patients, time-dependently. While miRNA expressions were in positive correlation with CK-MB in STEMI, they were in negative correlation in NSTEMI patients. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the dynamic expression of miR-1, miR-133a and miR-133b could predict the severity and progression of coronary heart disease in ACS patients. Advanced functional studies and larger cohort validations are required.