[Statins decreases expression of five inflammation-associated microRNAs in the plasma of patients with unstable angina].

OBJECTIVE

To explore the influence of treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) on the expression profile of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the plasma of patients with unstable angina (UA).

METHODS

The Taqman low-density miRNA array (TLDA) and significance analysis of microarrays (SAM) were used to identify distinct miRNA expression profiles in the plasma of UA patients treated with long-term and regular statins (UA receiving statins, n=6) compared with UA patients who had not received statins therapy before (UA received no statins, n=6). These differentially expressed miRNAs discovered in the profiling were further validated by real-time PCR in another 20 controls with non-cardiac chest pain, 26 UA patients received no statins, and 19 UA patients received statins.

RESULTS

By using TLDA and SAM, significantly decreased expression levels of 21 miRNAs were observed in the UA patients receiving statins compared with those who received no statins (fold change>3 and false discovery rate<0.0001%). The unsupervised hierarchical clustering based on miRNA expression clearly separated the UA patients receiving statins from those who received no statins. Consistent with the profiling data, the levels of 5 inflammation-associated miRNAs (miR-106b, miR-21, miR-25, miR-451, and miR-92a) were down regulated (P<0.05) in the UA patients receiving statins compared with those who received no statins.

CONCLUSION

A group of inflammation-associated miRNAs, consisting of miR-106b, miR-21, miR-25, miR-451, and miR-92a, could be decreased by treatment with statins and may be used as a novel biomarker for effectiveness of statins therapy in patients with UA.