The clinical diagnostic value of miR-7110-5p and miR-4484 in carotid artery stenosis and their mediation of ox-LDL-induced cell injury through targeting IL16

Early diagnosis and treatment of carotid artery stenosis (CAS) are crucial for preventing related cerebral ischemic events, making the identification of safe, non-invasive biomarkers highly necessary. To explore the expression and diagnostic value of miR-7110-5p and miR-4484 in CAS, and to clarify their mechanism of action. The expression levels of miR-7110-5p and miR-4484 were detected by RT-qPCR. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for diagnosing different degrees of CAS were constructed for miR-7110-5p and miR-4484. The target genes and common target genes of miR-7110-5p and miR-4484 were predicted using TargetScan Human, miRTarbase and miRDB databases and confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter gene assays. The activity and apoptosis rate of human carotid artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) were detected by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. Both miR-7110-5p and miR-4484 were found to be downregulated in the serum of CAS patients and in ox-LDL-induced HCAECs. The combined diagnostic performance of miR-7110-5p and miR-4484 was superior to that of either alone. IL16 was identified as a common target gene of miR-7110-5p and miR-4484. The miR-7110-5p and miR-4484 mimics significantly reduced the luciferase activity of HCAECs transfected with the wild-type IL16 vector. Both miR-7110-5p and miR-4484 mimics increased the cell viability and decreased the apoptosis rate of ox-LDL-induced HCAECs, while overexpressing IL16 reversed these effects. miR-7110-5p and miR-4484 have good diagnostic value in CAS and they mediate ox-LDL-induced HCAECs injury by negatively regulating IL16.