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Background and objectives: Coronary artery disease (CAD) refers to stenosis or obstruction of coronary artery due to atherosclerosis or clotting. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible association of serum miRNA-197 (miR-197) expression as a biomarker for CAD diagnosis.
Methods: In this study, 100 patients with CAD who had angiography and vascular transplantation were selected. Expression of miR-197 was evaluated using real-time RT-PCR technique and the SYBR Green method. The Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine relationship of miR-197 expression and severity of coronary artery disease. The t-test was used to determine significance of expression of miR-197 in the study groups. All statistical analyses were carried out in SPSS 16 and at significance of 0.05.
Results: The results showed a direct relationship between miR-197 expression and CAD severity. The relative expression of miR-197 in the CAD patients was significantly higher than that in control subjects (P<0.004).
Conclusion: It seems that miR-197 can be considered as an indicator of coronary endothelial cell function. This microRNA could be used as a biomarker for CAD prognosis and treatment progression.