Circulating
microRNAs (
miRNAs) have been proposed as potential
biomarkers for
left ventricular remodeling in postinfarction
heart failure (HF). However, the diagnostic reproducibility of the use of circulating
miRNAs may be affected by the temporal expression of
miRNAs following
myocardial infarction (MI). In the current study, using a MI-induced HF rat cohort (4-, 8-, and 12-week post-MI groups), we investigated the temporal expression of plasma
miRNAs during the development of
left ventricular remodeling. The plasma
miRNA expression profile was obtained using
miRNA sequencing. The expression of candidate
miRNAs in plasma and tissues was examined with real-time PCR. Target genes of candidate
miRNAs were predicted using a parallel
miRNA-
messenger RNA expression profiling approach. The value of plasma
miRNAs as
biomarkers for
left ventricular remodeling was evaluated in patients with postinfarction HF (n = 32) and control patients with
stable angina and without significant coronary lesions and HF (n = 16) with real-time PCR. Although the expression levels of miR-20a-5p, miR-340-5p, and let-7i-5p were temporally regulated in plasma, myocardium, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells, the expression levels of plasma
miRNAs, especially miR-20a-5p, were associated with the development of
left ventricular remodeling in the postinfarction HF rat cohort. The target genes of these 3
miRNAs were associated with the mechanistic target of
rapamycin, nuclear factor-κB, tumour
necrosis factor, apoptosis, and p53 signaling pathways. Additionally, the plasma levels of miR-20a-5p, miR-340-5p, and let-7i-5p were significantly increased in patients with postinfarction HF. However, only the expression levels of miR-20a-5p presented significant positive correlations with left ventricular internal end diastolic dimension and left ventricular end diastolic volume. In conclusion, the expression levels of plasma miR-20a-5p were significantly associated with the degree of left ventricular dilatation, and plasma miR-20a-5p may be a potential
biomarker for postinfarction
left ventricular remodeling.