Evaluating and Comparing Expression Levels of miR-199a and miR-126 in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Lone Atrial Fibrillation and Healthy Controls

Abstract

Background: Patients with lone atrial fibrillation (AF) are ideal subjects for investigating the relationship between AF and genetic factors. MicroRNAs are regulatory genetic factors closely related to the pathways leading to heart diseases, including AF. Objectives: This investigation aimed to examine the expression levels of miRNAs involved in the pathogenesis of this disease as non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Methods: The participants in this case-control study included 35 individuals with lone AF and 35 healthy controls. After collecting blood samples from all participants, the expression levels of miR-126 and miR-199a were evaluated using Real-Time PCR on the RNA extracted from these samples. The expression levels of these two miRNAs were then compared between the two groups. Results: Although the expression level of miR-126 in lone AF patients was significantly lower compared to healthy controls, the expression level of miR-199a did not show a significant difference between cases and controls. Additionally, the expression level of miR-126, with an AUC of 0.96, demonstrated very good prognostic power for the occurrence of lone AF. Conclusions: A decreased expression level of miR-126 was associated with lone AF and could be used as a biomarker with excellent diagnostic power. This change in expression could be proposed as a mediator that accelerates the complications of lone AF.