Expression of circulating miR-486 and miR-150 in patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND With its high morbidity and mortality, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) places a major burden on society and on individual patients. Correct, early correct diagnosis is crucial to the management of AMI. METHODS In this study, the expression of circulating miR-486 and miR-150 was investigated in AMI patients and the two miRNAs were evaluated as potential biomarkers for AMI. Plasma samples from 110 patients with AMI (65 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and 45 patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI)) and 110 healthy adults were collected. Circulating levels of miR-486 and miR-150 were detected using quantitative real-time PCR in plasma samples. RESULTS Results showed that the levels of miR-486 and miR-150 were significantly higher in AMI patients than in healthy controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses indicated that the two plasma miRNAs were of significant diagnostic value for AMI, especially NSTEMI. The combined ROC analysis revealed an AUC value of 0.771 in discriminating AMI patients from healthy controls and an AUC value of 0.845 in discriminating NSTEMI patients from healthy controls. CONCLUSION Results indicated that the levels of circulating miR-486 and miR-150 are associated with AMI. They may be novel and powerful biomarkers for AMI, especially for NSTEMI.