Serum Aberrant Expression of miR-377-3p and Its Diagnostic Value in Carotid Artery Stenosis

To determine the serum expression profile of miR-377-3p in carotid artery stenosis (CAS) patients and to assess its diagnostic potential in a clinical setting.

Using qRT-PCR, miR-377-3p expression was measured in serum samples from 78 CAS patients and 78 matched healthy controls. We used the Pearson correlation to analyze inter-indicator relationships and the ROC curve to assess the diagnostic significance of miR-377-3p. The cellular functions of human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) were assessed. Bioinformatics predictions of target associations were experimentally verified with a luciferase activity assay.

Patients diagnosed with CAS had a lower serum level of miR-377-3p. ROC curve-based analysis showed that miR-377-3p exerted high diagnostic value, where the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.9597. Serum miR-377-3p was negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), while positively correlated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL). miR-377-3p inhibited the proliferation and migration of HASMCs, but this effect was counteracted by EDIL3.

These results suggest the dual utility of miR-377-3p as a promising biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in the management of CAS. miR-377-3p can inhibit the proliferation and migration of HASMCs by targeting EDIL3.