Long non-coding RNA MALAT1 and its target microRNA-125b associate with disease risk, severity, and major adverse cardiovascular event of coronary heart disease.

Background: This study aimed to explore the correlation of long non-coding RNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (lncRNA MALAT1) with microRNA (miR)-125b and further investigated their associations with disease risk, severity, and prognosis of coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: Totally, 230 patients who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography were recruited; meanwhile, 140 of them were diagnosed as CHD and the remaining 90 non-CHD patients served as controls. Plasma sample was collected from each participant for lncRNA MALAT1 and miR-125b mRNA expression detection by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The extent of coronary stenosis was evaluated by the Gensini score, and major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) occurrence during the follow-up was documented in CHD patients.

Results: Long non-coding RNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 relative expression was increased, but miR-125b relative expression was decreased in CHD patients compared with controls. ROC curve exhibited that lncRNA MALAT1 and miR-125b were of good value in differentiating CHD patients from controls, and further logistic regression analysis verified their independent correlation with CHD risk. Furthermore, lncRNA MALAT1 presented a closely negative correlation with miR-125b in CHD patients, while it presented a weakly negative association with miR-125b in controls. In CHD patients, lncRNA MALAT1 was positively correlated with Gensini score, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17, and accumulating MACE occurrence; reversely, miR-125b presented a opposite trend.

Conclusion: Long non-coding RNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 might be associated with increased CHD risk, severity, and accumulating MACE incidence via negative interaction with miR-125b, suggesting their possible clinical application as biomarkers in the CHD screening and surveillance.