Serum miR-15a-5p may predict recurrence of atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation: a single center retrospective study

Background. There is still a lack of an easily obtainable, sensitive, and specific biomarker for predicting the recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). In the present study, we aimed to investigate the predictive value of serum miR-15a-5p as a biomarker of recurrence in AF patients undergoing RFCA. Methods. Forty-three consecutive AF patients indicated for RFCA and 20 non-AF subjects were enrolled. The levels of serum miR-15a-5p and PICP, PIIINP, MMP-9, and sST2 were detected. Then, linear regression analysis, binary logistic regression analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were used to investigate the correlation between the expression level of serum miR-15a-5p and the degree of myocardial fibrosis and assess the value of serum miR-15a-5p for predicting postoperative recurrence of AF. Results. There was a significant difference in age, CK-MB, uric acid (UA), left atrial diameter (LAD), history of coronary heart disease (CAD), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) between the AF group and the control group (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the level of serum miR-15a-5p, MMP-9, PICP, PIIINP, and sST2 was higher in the AF group (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). miR-15a-5p had a significant and positive relationship with the level of the four serum fibrosis biomarkers (p < 0.05). Compared with paroxysmal AF, persistent AF had a higher increase in serum miR-15a-5p expression level (p < 0.001). Compared with the non-recurrent, the expression level of serum miR-15a-5p in the recurrent patients was significantly increased (p < 0.01). ROC analysis showed that the AUC of serum miR-15a-5p for predicting AF recurrence was 0.823 (95% CI [0.668-0.979], p < 0.01), and the cutoff value was 1.5224, with a sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 86.1%. Conclusions. The high expression of serum miR-15a-5p in AF patients was related to the degree of myocardial fibrosis and the recurrence of AF after RFCA, which indicated that serum miR-15a-5p could be used as a serum biomarker for predicting AF recurrence after RFCA.