Plasma miR-126 and miR-143 as Potential Novel Biomarkers for Cerebral Atherosclerosis

Background: Cerebral atherosclerosis is the most important mechanism for ischemic stroke. However, specific plasma biomarkers to assess atherosclerosis susceptibility are still lacking. Circulating miRNAs have been shown to be promising biomarkers for various pathologic conditions. We investigated whether plasma miR-126 and miR-143 could be used as biomarkers for identifying and evaluating cerebral atherosclerosis. Results showed that miR-143 and miR-126 might participate in the process of atherosclerosis and were minimally affected by cerebral infarction. Using Pearson correlation analysis, we showed that miR-126 and miR-143 were correlated with the presence and severity of cerebral atherosclerosis. The ability of miR-126 and miR-143 to differentiate atherosclerosis patients from healthy controls was demonstrated via a receiving operating characteristic curve with high specificity and sensitivity. Our data thus indicate that miR-126 and miR-143 may be potential specific biomarkers for atherosclerosis.