MicroRNA-126 Level Increases During Exercise Rehabilitation of Heart Failure with a Preserved Ejection Fraction

To evaluate the changes of plasma levels of miR-126 in heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) patients undergoing an exercise rehabilitation intervention.

miR-126 levels in plasma were compared between 60HFpEF patients and 30 healthy volunteers. HFpEF patients underwent exercise rehabilitation for 12 weeks. Before and after rehabilitation, indicators of cardiac function, exercise tolerance, quality of life scores and miR-126 levels were measured and compared. Correlations between plasma levels of miR-126 and HFpEF were evaluated.

The plasma levels of miR-126 in HFpEF patients were lower than those in healthy volunteers and increased significantly after exercise rehabilitation. HFpEF patients also showed significantly better cardiac function, exercise tolerance, and quality of life after rehabilitation. The results of Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression showed that miR-126 levels were positively correlated with peak oxygen consumption (peak VO₂) and metabolic equivalents (METs), and inversely associated with score on the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHF) as well as plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels.

miR-126 levels are low expressed in plasma among HFpEF patients. Effective exercise rehabilitation in HFpEF patients may positively impact the plasma level of miR-126, which is probably associated with the restoration of cardiac function, exercise tolerance and quality of life. miR-126 may be a potential biomarker for evaluating the efficacy of exercise rehabilitation for HFpEF patients.