Exosomal circ-0020887 and circ-0009590 as novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and prediction of short-term adverse cardiovascular outcomes in STEMI patients

This study attempted to identify exosomal circular RNAs (circRNAs) as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The differentially expressed exosomal circRNAs (DEECs) were screened from microarray dataset (GSE160717 and GSE197137) and RNA-Seq dataset (GSE208194), and the expression levels of DEECs in patients with STEMI were validated using reverse transcription and quantitative real-time PCR. The diagnostic value of DEECs was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves. The major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE)-free 1-year survival rate was evaluated using the Kaplan–Meier method, and the factors affecting prognosis were determined using Cox regression model analysis. Results showed that four DEECs were screened including exo-circ-0001490, exo-circ-0020887, exo-circ-0009590, and exo-circ-0055440, and only upregulated exo-circ-0020887 and exo-circ-0009590 expression was validated in patients with STEMI. The exo-circ-0020887 and exo-circ-0009590 expression was positively correlated with hs-CRP, LDL-C, cTnI, and CK-MB. The exo-circ-0020887 and exo-circ-0009590 showed good diagnostic efficacy to distinguish STEMI patients from healthy controls (area under the curves: 0.85 and 0.80). STEMI patients with high levels of exo-circ-0020887 and exo-circ-0009590 had lower MACE-free 1-year survival rate, and exo-circ-0020887 and exo-circ-0009590 expression was independent risk factors for adverse prognosis. In summary, upregulation of plasma exo-circ-0020887 and exo-circ-0009590 might act as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and prediction of short-term adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with STEMI.