Huang Yu-Qing, Li Jie, Chen Ji-Yan, Zhou Ying-Ling, Cai An-Ping, Huang Cheng, Feng Ying-Qing
Department of Cardiology, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coronary Disease, Guangdong General Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
The Jinwan Central Hospital of Zhuhai, Zhuhai Hospital of Guangdong General Hospital, Zhuhai, China.
Cell Physiol Biochem. 2017;44(4):1537-1544. doi: 10.1159/000485649. Epub 2017 Dec 4.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although it is widely acknowledged that atherosclerosis is mainly a chronic inflammatory process, in which both miR-29b and interleukin-6 (IL-6) play multifaceted roles, the association between miR-29b and IL-6 remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between miR-29b and IL-6 and to test whether circulating levels of miR-29b and IL-6 could predict atherosclerosis.
A total of 170 participants were divided into two groups according to carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT): study group (CIMT ≥ 0.9mm) and control group (CIMT < 0.9mm). Levels of circulating miR-29b and IL-6 were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. The association of miR-29b and IL-6 levels with CIMT was assessed using Spearman correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis.
The study group showed higher miR-29b levels (31.61 ± 3.05 vs. 27.91 ± 1.71 Ct, p < 0.001) and IL-6 levels (3.40 ± 0.67 vs. 2.99 ± 0.37 pg/ml, p < 0.001), compared with the control group. CIMT was positively correlated with miR-29b (r = 0.587, p < 0.001) and IL-6 (r = 0.410, p < 0.001), and miR-29b levels were also correlated with IL-6 (r = 0.242, p = 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis also showed that CIMT was positively correlated with miR-29b and IL-6. After adjustment for age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol and C-reactive protein, CIMT was still closely correlated with miR-29b and IL-6. The combination of miR-29b and IL-6 (AUC = 0.901, p < 0.001) offered a better predictive index for atherosclerosis than either miR-29b (AUC = 0.867, p < 0.001) or IL-6 (AUC = 0.747, p < 0.001) alone.
Circulating levels of miR-29b and IL-6 may be independently correlated with subclinical atherosclerosis, and may serve as novel biomarkers for the identification of atherosclerosis.
背景/目的：尽管人们普遍认为动脉粥样硬化主要是一种慢性炎症过程，其中miR-29b和白细胞介素-6（IL-6）都发挥着多方面作用，但miR-29b与IL-6之间的关联仍不清楚。本研究的目的是探讨miR-29b与IL-6之间的关系，并检测miR-29b和IL-6的循环水平是否可预测动脉粥样硬化。
根据颈动脉内膜中层厚度（CIMT）将170名参与者分为两组：研究组（CIMT≥0.9mm）和对照组（CIMT<0.9mm）。分别采用定量实时聚合酶链反应（qRT-PCR）和酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）检测循环miR-29b和IL-6的水平。使用Spearman相关性分析和多元线性回归分析评估miR-29b和IL-6水平与CIMT的关联。
与对照组相比，研究组的miR-29b水平更高（31.61±3.05对27.91±1.71 Ct，p<0.001），IL-6水平也更高（3.40±0.67对2.99±0.37 pg/ml，p<0.001）。CIMT与miR-29b（r=0.587，p<0.001）和IL-6（r=0.410，p<0.001）呈正相关，miR-29b水平也与IL-6相关（r=0.242，p=0.001）。多元线性回归分析还显示CIMT与miR-29b和IL-6呈正相关。在调整年龄、体重指数、收缩压、总胆固醇和C反应蛋白后，CIMT仍与miR-29b和IL-6密切相关。miR-29b和IL-6联合检测（AUC=0.901，p<0.001）比单独检测miR-29b（AUC=0.867，p<0.001）或IL-6（AUC=0.747，p<0.001）能更好地预测动脉粥样硬化。
循环miR-29b和IL-6水平可能与亚临床动脉粥样硬化独立相关，并可作为识别动脉粥样硬化的新型生物标志物。
