miR-29c-3p is an effective biomarker of abdominal aortic aneurysm in patients undergoing elective surgery.

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are usually asymptomatic and mostly diagnosed incidentally. Aortic dilatation progresses along with the wall weakening and eventually leads to a life-threatening rupture. Currently, there are no effective screening biomarkers for AAA. MicroRNAs, a class of small non-coding RNA molecules, offer great potential as biomarkers because of their stability in the bloodstream and expression characteristic for different diseases.,To assess the circulating miR-29c-3p as a potential biomarker of AAA and to elucidate the biological functions of miR-29c-3p in terms of pathogenesis of aneurysms.,Two groups of patients scheduled for elective surgery were studied: 52 patients with AAA, and 51 patients with peripheral artery disease who served as a control group (matched by age and gender). Serum miRNA was measured for circulating miR-29c-3p using quantitative real-time PCR. Using in vitro culture of endothelial cells functional tests of miR-29c-3p impact on the targeted transcripts was done using its mimic or inhibitor Results: Serum miR-29c-3p was significantly elevated in AAA patients as compared with controls (RQ=8.73) and correlated with the diameter of the aneurysm. No association between well-known risk factors and level of circulating miR-29c-3p was found using a logistic regression. In vitro study revealed that miR-29c-3p suppresses transcripts of ELN, COL4A1, PTEN and VEGFA.,The results suggest that elevated miR-29c-3p is a potential serum biomarker for AAA. Causal involvement of miR-29c-3p into pathogenesis of the disease was found in human vascular endothelial cells, by inhibition of extracellular matrix synthesis and proliferative signaling.