MicroRNA-26a confers a potential biomarker for screening of deep vein thrombosis

Background: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases caused by the formation of a clot in deep veins. The measurement of microRNAs (miRNAs) as diagnostic biomarkers in the blood and plasma confers a tool to detect human diseases without invasive methods. In this regard, the present study aimed to assess the changes in the expression level of miR-26a in patients with DVT in order to investigate its potential as prognostic biomarker in these subjects. Methods: This study was performed on 200 patients with VDT and 200 healthy subjects, who were selected after matching for gender and age. The serum samples were obtained from study participants, RNA content of the samples was isolated, cDNA was synthesized, and the expression level of miR-26a was measured using Real-time PCR. Results: Downregulation of miR-26a expression was detected in patients in comparison to normal group (Fold change = 0.32, P = 0.0004). Additionally, miR-26a expression was significantly lower in patients with emboli (Fold change = 0.27, P = 0.032) compared to those without emboli. ROC curve analysis of miR-26a revealed its potential as a biomarker for DVT (Area: 0.73, P = 0.0005). Conclusion: Our findings showed that miR-26a might be involved in the pathogenesis of DVT. Additionally, measuring the expression of miR-26a could be used as a diagnostic or predictive biomarker in DVT.