Circulating microRNA Profiles for Premature Cardiovascular Death in Patients with Kidney Failure with Replacement...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Nephrology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Patients with kidney failure with replacement therapy (KFRT) face a high burden of cardiovascular disease.
• Circulating small non-coding RNAs (c-sncRNAs) are emerging as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for cardiovascular disease.
• The role of c-sncRNAs in predicting cardiovascular mortality in KFRT patients remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between circulating microRNAs (c-miRNAs) and premature cardiovascular death in patients undergoing hemodialysis.
• To identify specific c-miRNAs that are differentially expressed in patients who died from cardiovascular events compared to survivors.

Main Methods:

• A pilot case-control study involving 50 hemodialysis patients who died of cardiovascular events and 50 matched survivors.
• Next-generation sequencing was used to profile c-sncRNAs in plasma.
• Differential expression analysis, mRNA target prediction, and pathway enrichment analysis were performed.

Main Results:

• Five c-miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed between cases and controls.
• miR-129-1-5p was significantly upregulated in patients who died from cardiovascular events.
• Higher levels of circulating miR-129-1-5p were independently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death (adjusted OR: 1.68).

Conclusions:

• Circulating miR-129-1-5p may serve as a novel predictive biomarker for premature cardiovascular death in patients with kidney failure requiring replacement therapy.
• Further research is warranted to explore the therapeutic potential of targeting miR-129-1-5p in KFRT patients.