Circulating miR-21-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-320a-3p in patients with atrial fibrillation in combination with hypertension and coronary artery disease

Aim. To study the plasma profiles of circulating extracellular microribonucleic acids (miRNAs), potentially including in pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases, in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in combination with hypertension (HTN) or coronary artery disease (CAD).

Material and methods. The study included patients with AF in combi  nation with HTN (n=21) or CAD (n=10), as well as following control groups: patients with uncomplicated HTN without AF (n=28), patients with stable CAD without AF (n=10) and healthy individuals (n=30). MiRNA samples were isolated from blood plasma of the study participants. MiRNAs were detected by TaqMan quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay. The relative plasma levels of five candidate miRNAs were estimated relative to the reference miR-16-5p.

Results. Among the analyzed circulating plasma miRNAs, a higher level of miR-320a-3p was associated with AF, while increased levels of miR 146a-5p and miR-21-5p are potentially associated with presence of both AF and CAD.

Conclusion. Differences were found in the plasma miRNA profiles (miR-21-5p, miR-320a-3p, miR-146a-5p) between patients with AF, regardless of concomitant disease (CAD or HTN), and healthy individuals in the control group.

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