Plasma miR-124-3p and miR-16 concentrations as prognostic markers in acute stroke

• plasma concentrations of miR-124-3p and miR-16 were investigated in acute stroke patients presenting within 24 h of onset
• high plasma miR-124-3p levels and low plasma miR-16 levels predicted 3-month all-cause mortality and post-stroke mRS > 2
• findings could be clinically useful in acute stroke for early prediction and prognostic stratification of stroke patients

ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate plasma concentrations of miR-124-3p and miR-16 as prognostic markers in emergency department patients with acute stroke.Design and methodsPlasma concentrations of miR-124-3p and miR-16 of 84 stroke patients (presenting to the emergency department within 24 h from onset of symptoms) were determined by RT-qPCR. The primary outcome measure was 3-month mortality and the secondary outcome measure was post-stroke modified Rankin Score (mRS).ResultsTwelve patients (14.3%) died within 3 months of hospital admission and forty-one (48.8%) patients as achieved a 3-month mRS > 2. Median plasma miR-124-3p concentrations were elevated in patients who died compared to patients who survived (p = 0.0052), and its levels were found to be higher in patients with a 3-month mRS > 2 compared with patients with mRS ≤ 2 (p = 0.0312). Higher plasma miR-16 concentrations were observed in patients who survived than in patients who died (p = 0.0394), while its concentrations were lower in patients achieving mRS > 2 than in patients with mRS ≤ 2 (p = 0.0124). For a subgroup of cases presenting to the emergency department within 6 h from time of symptom onset (n = 36), plasma miR-124-3p concentrations predicted 3-month mortality with an area under the ROC curve of 0.87 (95%CI: 0.72–0.96).ConclusionsPlasma miR-124-3p and miR-16 are molecular markers which could be useful for the early prediction of mortality and mRS.