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Abstract
Background and purpose. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNAs whose deregulation has been shown in several human diseases, including pain states and diseases associated with increased cardiovascular (CV) risk. This study aimed at identifying differentially expressed circulating miRNAs in patients with ‘migraine without aura’ (MO), a pain condition whose link with CV risk remains debated.
Methods. Fifteen female MO patients and 13 matching healthy controls underwent a circulating microRNA expression profiling. MiR-22, miR-26a, miR-26b, miR-27b, miR-29b, let-7b, miR-181a, miR-221, miR-30b, and miR-30e were selected for validation by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.
Results. In migraineurs versus controls, four miRNAs were differentially expressed: miR-27b was significantly up-regulated (q < 0.004), while miR-181a, let-7b, and miR-22 were significantly down-regulated (q ≤ 0.01). MiR-22 and let-7b down-regulation was also confirmed in circulating blood monocytes. A logistic regression model based on microRNA expression profile showed a high accuracy for identifying migraine (AUC of ROC curve: 0.956; P < 0.001).
Conclusion. A specific circulating miRNAs profile is associated with migraine without aura. Remarkably, the same miRNAs are known to be modulated in the setting of atherosclerosis and stroke in humans. This study represents a first step towards further characterization of MO diagnosis/pathophysiology, also in relation to its link with cardiovascular risk.
Acknowledgements
We are deeply indebted to Domenico De Cesare for his invaluable technical assistance, to Christian Ries for his kind suggestions on the revision of the final manuscript, and to Lesley Skeens for revising the English language.
E.T., D.S., and V.d.N. share first authorship; M.A.G. and F.C. share senior authorship.
Funding: This study was supported by a grant from the Italian Ministry of University and Scientific Research (COFIN MIUR 2009 protocol 2009L4X28T_002).
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Supplementary material available online
Supplementary Table I & II and Figure 1 to be found online at http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/07853890.2015.1071871