Circulating miR-451a Expression May Predict Recurrence in Atrial Fibrillation Patients after Catheter Pulmonary Vein Ablation

Abstract

Atrial fibrillation is the most prevalent tachyarrhythmia in clinical practice, with very high cardiovascular morbidity and mortality with a high-cost impact in health systems. Currently, it is one of the main causes of stroke and subsequent heart failure and sudden death. miRNAs mediate in several processes involved in cardiovascular disease, including fibrosis and electrical and structural remodeling. Several studies suggest a key role of miRNAs in the course and maintenance of atrial fibrillation. In our study, we aimed to identify the differential expression of circulating miRNAs and their predictive value as biomarkers of recurrence in atrial fibrillation patients undergoing catheter pulmonary vein ablation. To this effect, 42 atrial fibrillation patients were recruited for catheter ablation. We measured the expression of 84 miRNAs in non-recurrent and recurrent groups (45.2%), both in plasma from peripheral and left atrium blood. Expression analysis showed that miRNA-451a is downregulated in recurrent patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that miR-451a in left atrium plasma could predict atrial fibrillation recurrence after pulmonary vein isolation. In addition, atrial fibrillation recurrence is positively associated with the increment of scar percentage. Our data suggest that miRNA-451a expression plays an important role in AF recurrence by controlling fibrosis and progression.

The Transcriptional Landscape of Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…These agents can modulate a myriad of molecular mechanisms relevant to AF, including intracellular calcium kinetics, pro-inflammatory cytokine profiles, and the PI3K/Akt/eNOS signaling cascade, as well as modify the expression of certain microRNA levels, resulting in reduced incidence and severity of AF in both preclinical and clinical studies [85][86][87][88][89][90][91]. On the other hand, retinoids, such as fenretinide and tretinoin, have less evidence in the context of AF.…”

Plasma miR-486-5p Expression Is Upregulated in Atrial Fibrillation Patients with Broader Low-Voltage Areas

“…Sequences of 84 different predesigned mature miRNAs (listed in Supplementary Table S3) were detected using a Human Cardiovascular Disease miScript miRNA PCR Array (MIHS-113Z, Qiagen, Hilden, Germany), as previously described, containing a miRNA sequence from C. elegans as an exogenous normalizer (spike-in cel-miR-39) [36]. All cDNA steps and PCR setup were performed via a QuantStudio™ 5 Flex Real-Time PCR System (Applied-Biosystems, Carlsbad, CA, USA).…”