Abstract

Background The aim of the study was to assess the correlation between circulating long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) OTTHUMT00000387022 (named Coromarker) expression and disease severity, inflammatory cytokine levels, and plaque vulnerability in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods A total of 134 participants who received coronary angiography were enrolled and classified them as CAD patients ( N = 89) and controls ( N = 45). Blood samples were obtained from all subjects. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate Coromarker expression. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent test was used to measure inflammatory cytokines including high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin (IL)-1 β (IL-1 β ), IL-6, NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), and markers of coronary plaque stability including matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) and soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L). The severity of coronary stenosis was determined from the Gensini Score. Results LncRNA Coromarker expression was elevated to a greater extent in CAD patients than in control subjects before and after adjustments for age/gender (both p < 0.001); it was an independent predictor of CAD risk (area under curve: 0.824, 95% CI: 0.732–0.915). Additionally, Coromarker expression was significantly associated with Gensini Score ( r = 0.574, p < 0.001), hsCRP ( r = 0.221, p = 0.015), IL-1 β ( r = 0.351, p < 0.001), IL-6 ( r = 0.286, p < 0.01), and NLRP3 levels ( r = 0.312, p < 0.001). Coromarker expression was found to be linked with MMP-9 ( r = 0.260, p < 0.01) and sCD40L ( r = 0.441, p < 0.001). Conclusion Circulating lncRNA Coromarker expression correlates with increased disease severity and inflammation as well as plaque vulnerability in patients with CAD.