Clinical Significance of MicroRNA-330-3p in Plasma Level for Acute Cerebral Infarction

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The present study was to investigate the clinical role of miR-330-3p in acute cerebral infarction (ACI), including its diagnostic and prognostic potential. Preliminary exploration of its target genes was archived by bioinformatics analysis. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> miR-330-3p in plasma of the patients with ACI and controls were quantified by real-time quantitative PCR. The 1-month prognosis of the ACI patients was evaluated by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS). The correlation between the plasma levels of miR-330-3p and the GOS scores was tested by Pearson correlation analysis. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were established based on the expression level of miR-330-3p in different groups. The miR-330-3p-targeting genes were analyzed using Venn diagram, protein-protein interaction network, and Gene Ontology enrichment analysis. <b><i>Results:</i></b> miR-330-3p was significantly increased in the plasma of ACI patients compared with that in healthy controls, and ROC curve revealed its diagnostic value for ACI. miR-330-3p was significantly increased in the plasma of patients with poor 1-month prognosis compared with those with good 1-month prognosis. miR-330-3p expression was negatively correlated with GOS score, suggesting its potential to predict the 1-month prognosis for ACI. One-year survival analysis revealed surviving patients had lower levels of miR-330-3p than the deceased. miR-330-3p was proven to predict the death of patients with ACI. The miR-330-3p-targeting genes were associated with synapse-related Gene Ontology terms. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> miR-330-3p was upregulated in the plasma of patients with ACI, making it a promising diagnostic and prognostic marker for patients with ACI. miR-330-3p could facilitate synaptic plasticity following cerebral infarction.