Circulating Level of miR-378 Predicts Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Patients with Aortic Stenosis

Aims: Excessively high left ventricle mass is an independent predictor of adverse prognosis. MicroRNAs (miRs) play crucial roles in the regulation of left ventricle hypertrophy (LVH). However, few circulating miRs have been established as predictors of LVH in aortic stenosis (AS) patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether circulating levels of miR-1, miR-133, and miR-378 predict LVH in patients with AS. Methods and Results: One-hundred twelve patients with moderate to severe AS and 40 healthy controls were included in the study. Levels of miR-1, miR-133, and miR-378 in the plasma were measured by qPCR. Compared with healthy controls, AS patients had significantly lower circulating levels of miR-1, miR-133, and miR-378. AS patients with LVH had significantly lower miR-378 but not miR-1 and miR-133 compared with those without LVH. Linear regression analysis showed circulating miR-378 had strong correlation with left ventricular mass index (r = 0.283, p = 0.002) and logistic regression showed that lower miR-378 was an independent predictor for LVH in patients with AS (p = 0.037, OR 4.110, 95% CI 1.086 to 15.558). Conclusion: Circulating levels of miR-1, miR-133 and miR-378 were decreased in AS patients, and miR-378 predicts LVH independent of the pressure gradient. Further prospective investigations are needed to elucidate whether these circulating miRs affect clinical outcome.