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Circulating microRNAs in various etiopathogenetic subtypes of acute ischemic stroke: a human systematic review study
Marina Grigolashvili1, Irina Kadyrova2, Yelena Shayakhmetova1
1Department of Neurology, Psychiatry and Rehabilitation, Karaganda Medical University, Karaganda, Kazakhstan.
Introduction:
Stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and disability among the adult population worldwide. In recent years, considerable efforts have been made to identify circulating microRNAs that could enhance the diagnostic potential of current neuroimaging techniques and assist in the differential diagnosis of distinct pathogenetic subtypes of ischemic stroke. This systematic review aimed to examine the differential expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) across various pathogenetic forms of ischemic stroke.
Methods:
Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus were searched for studies examining the association of circulating microRNAs with various etiologic subtypes of acute ischemic stroke. Studies meeting predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected for data extraction. Two authors independently extracted data from the included studies regarding study design, patient characteristics, and relative microRNA expression.
Results:
Twelve studies were included, involving 937 cases and 690 healthy controls. The dysregulated miRNAs (let-7b, let-7e, miR-20a, miR-125b, miR-19a, miR-30a, miR-126, etc.) may serve as non-invasive biomarkers for the diagnosis of cardioembolic stroke (CE). However, the only microRNAs associated with CE and reported in more than one study were let-7b and let-7e. The highest area under the curve (AUC) value for cases with large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) was reported for miR-16 (AUC = 0.952). During small vessel occlusion (SVO), nine circulating microRNAs were found to be differentially expressed, of which seven were downregulated and two were upregulated.
Conclusion:
The investigation of differential microRNA expression offers significant potential for their use as biomarkers of cerebral ischemia and its etiologic subtypes. However, further research in larger patient populations is needed to validate the diagnostic utility of the identified microRNAs.
Insights
Circulating microRNAs show potential as biomarkers for diagnosing ischemic stroke subtypes. Further research is needed to confirm their diagnostic accuracy in larger patient groups.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Genetics
- Neurology
Background:
- Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability globally.
- Accurate diagnosis of ischemic stroke subtypes is crucial for effective treatment.
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are being investigated as potential circulating biomarkers for stroke diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the differential expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in various pathogenetic forms of ischemic stroke.
- To identify potential circulating miRNA biomarkers for ischemic stroke subtypes.
Main Methods:
- A systematic search of Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases was conducted.
- Studies investigating circulating miRNAs and acute ischemic stroke etiologic subtypes were included.
- Data on study design, patient characteristics, and miRNA expression were extracted.
Main Results:
- Twelve studies involving 937 cases and 690 controls were analyzed.
- Several miRNAs (e.g., let-7b, let-7e, miR-16) showed differential expression across stroke subtypes.
- let-7b and let-7e were associated with cardioembolic stroke, while miR-16 showed high diagnostic value for large artery atherosclerosis.
Conclusions:
- Differential microRNA expression holds promise for non-invasive diagnosis of cerebral ischemia and its subtypes.
- Larger studies are required to validate the diagnostic utility of identified miRNAs.
