MicroRNA expression profile in patients in the early stages of ischemic stroke

Abstract

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the population, has a complex multifactorial nature and develops through the interaction of environmental factors and genetic predisposition, the pattern and mechanisms of which have been insufficiently studied. Ischemic stroke (IS) is most commonly encountered. Objective: to investigate the differential expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the plasma of patients in the acute and subacute stages of stroke. Patients and methods. The investigation enrolled 10 patients (5 men and 5 women; mean age, 64.5 years) with IS and 10 gender- and agematched volunteers (a control group). A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to analyze the expression of 45 miRNAs isolated from the plasma samples of the patients on days 1 and 8 after onset of IS and isolated once from those of the controls. Results. A list of 45 miRNAs, that might be potential biomarkers and/or prognostic factors of stroke, was compiled. The investigation showed a decrease in let-7i-3p and miR-23a-3p miRNA expression in patients on the first day after onset of IS compared to the control group. The expression of miR-23a-3p increased in the patients at 8 days after IS. The patients with IS and the controls both showed gender differences in the expression of let-7i-5p and miR-92b-3p. Conclusion. The in-silico analysis revealed specific miRNA clusters associated with the peculiarities of clinical manifestations of IS. This may suggest that the patients with the favorable and unfavorable course of stroke may have its different molecular basis. In addition, it is necessary to take into account gender differences in the expression of individual miRNAs in assessing their significance in the pathogenesis and prognosis of IS.