Development of a New Framework for Health Assessment in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease by using miRNA-197 in Adults

Coronary artery disease (CAD) refers to stenosis or obstruction of coronary artery due to atherosclerosis or clotting. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible association of serum miRNA-197 (miR-197) expression as a biomarker for CAD diagnosis.

In this study, 100 patients with CAD who had angiography and vascular transplantation were selected. Expression of miR-197 was evaluated using real-time RT-PCR technique and the SYBR Green method. The Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine relationship of miR-197 expression and severity of coronary artery disease. The t-test was used to determine significance of expression of miR-197 in the study groups. All statistical analyses were carried out in SPSS 16 and at significance of 0.05.

The results showed a direct relationship between miR-197 expression and CAD severity. The relative expression of miR-197 in the CAD patients was significantly higher than that in control subjects (P<0.004).

It seems that miR-197 can be considered as an indicator of coronary endothelial cell function. This microRNA could be used as a biomarker for CAD prognosis and treatment progression.