The Role of miRNA-146a and Proinflammatory Cytokines in Carotid Atherosclerosis

<jats:p>The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and significance of miRNA-146a in peripheral blood of patients with carotid atherosclerosis (CAS). Patients with CAS were selected as the stenosis (CAS) group (<jats:inline-formula> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1"> <mi>n</mi> <mo>=</mo> <mn>180</mn> </math> </jats:inline-formula>). According to the degree of stenosis, they were divided into the mild stenosis group (MS group, <jats:inline-formula> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2"> <mi>n</mi> <mo>=</mo> <mn>64</mn> </math> </jats:inline-formula>), moderate stenosis group (M group, <jats:inline-formula> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M3"> <mi>n</mi> <mo>=</mo> <mn>62</mn> <mtext> </mtext> <mtext>cases</mtext> </math> </jats:inline-formula>), and severe stenosis group (SS group, <jats:inline-formula> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M4"> <mi>n</mi> <mo>=</mo> <mn>54</mn> </math> </jats:inline-formula>). According to the plaque type, patients were divided into a stable plaque group (SP group, <jats:inline-formula> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M5"> <mi>n</mi> <mo>=</mo> <mn>96</mn> </math> </jats:inline-formula>) and a vulnerable plaque group (VP group, <jats:inline-formula> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M6"> <mi>n</mi> <mo>=</mo> <mn>84</mn> </math> </jats:inline-formula>). Patients without CAS represented the normal group (<jats:inline-formula> <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M7"> <mi>n</mi> <mo>=</mo> <mn>90</mn> </math> </jats:inline-formula>). The expression levels of miRNA-146a as well as IL-6 and TNF-α in peripheral blood were detected by RT-PCR and ELISA, respectively. The expression levels of miRNA-146a, IL-6, and TNF-α in the CAS group were higher than those in the normal group and positively correlated with the degree of stenosis and plaque vulnerability. The expression levels of miRNA-146a, IL-6, and TNF-α in the stable plaque group were lower than those in the vulnerable plaque group. The area under the curve of miRNA-146a predicting the vulnerability of plaques was significant at 0.641. The expression level of miRNA-146a in the CAS group was positively correlated with IL-6 and TNF-α levels. Our results indicate that miRNA-146a may participate in the occurrence and development of CAS by regulating the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α, which may be potential biomarkers of CAS.</jats:p>