Evaluation of exosome-encapsulated miR-23a/b in the diagnosis of human coronary heart diseases

Objective Coronary heart disease (CHD) is currently one of the major causes of death with high morbidity. Due to the increasing heterogeneity and complexity in the CHDs progression, biomarkers for specific diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression need to be developed. The study was aimed to investigate the roles of serum exosomal miR-23a and miR-23b in diagnosis of CHDs. Methods 16 healthy individuals and 56 patients with CHDs were enrolled in this study, including the CHDs of stable angina, unstable angina, non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Serum exosomal miR-23a and miR-23b were quantified by Q-PCR. The associations of miR-23a/b with multiple clinical parameters were analyzed. Results Serum exosomal miR-23a was downregulated in the 56 CHD patients. In the specific prediction of stable angina and AMI, miR-23a achieved the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC-ROC) of 0.809 and 0.783, respectively. The levels of serum creatinine (CREA) and miR-23a were associated, which was consistent with risk of kidney injury in CHDs patients. Exosomal miR-23b levels showed no difference among CHD groups. Conclusions miR-23a may serve as a non-invasive marker in predicting stable angina and AMI. The level of miR-23a was implicated in CREA-dependent CHD-renal damage.