Circulating miR-4763-3p Is a Novel Potential Biomarker Candidate for Human Adult Fulminant Myocarditis

Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are potential biomarkers in various diseases. However, whether they could serve as biomarkers for human adult fulminant myocarditis (FM) is unknown. Circulating miRNA expression profiles were detected by microarray analysis and validated by quantitative real-time PCR arrays. Meanwhile, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis was used to determine the critical roles of these circulating miRNAs in FM. Moreover, correlation analysis was employed between miRNAs and the parameters of cardiac functions in FM. Finally, the sensitivity and specificity of circulating long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression in FM diagnosis were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Both microarray and quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression of miR-4763-3p and miR-4281 were upregulated in the plasma of FM at the onset, and their levels were restored as the clinical symptom recovered. The predicted target genes of miR-4763-3p and miR-4281 are involved in several pathways, mainly inflammatory and cardiac injury response. Moreover, the miRNAs enrichment was negatively correlated with the severity of FM. In addition, the expression levels of circulating miR-4763-3p were unchanged in myocardial infarction (MI) patients but showed high sensitivity and specificity for FM diagnosis. This study provides a global profile of circulating miRNAs in patients with FM, among which miR-4763-3p could serve as a potential biomarker.