Diagnostic value of miR-186-5p for carotid artery stenosis and its predictive significance for future cerebral ischemic event

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) serve as novel promising biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of many human diseases. This study investigated the diagnostic value of miR-186-5p for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis (CAS), and its predictive value for future cerebral ischemic events (CIEs). METHODS: Sixty-seven cases with asymptomatic CAS and 60 healthy individuals were recruited. Serum levels of miR-186-5p were tested by using qRT-PCR. Receiving–operator characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn based on sensitivity and specificity analyses. All asymptomatic CAS cases were followed up for 5 years. Kaplan-Meier method was applied for the evaluation of the predictive value of miR-186-5p for the occurrence of CIE. RESULTS: The serum level of miR-186-5p was increased significantly in asymptomatic CAS patients. MiR-186-5p was the most significant factor associated with the high degree of carotid stenosis in asymptomatic CAS patients. In the ROC curve analysis, the AUC was 0.919, with the sensitivity of 89.6% and specificity of 81.7% at the cutoff value of 1.221. Kaplan-Meier method results revealed that high miR-186-5p level was associated with the occurrence of CIEs. High miR-186-5p level and high degree of carotid stenosis were independent factors for the occurrence of CIEs. CONCLUSION: MiR-186-5p serves as a potential diagnostic biomarker for patients with asymptomatic CAS, and predicts the occurrence of future CIEs.