Acute cerebral infarct (ACI) is a severe subtype of ischemic stroke. microRNAs (miRNAs) are implicated in the pathogenesis of ACI. This study investigated the expression pattern and clinical implication of miR-124 in ACI patients. Serum samples were collected from 108 healthy people and 108 ACI patients at 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h. Serum miR-124 expression was tested using qRT-PCR. The levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and C-reactive protein (CRP) were detected using ELISA kits. The correlations between miR-124 expression and infarct classification, infarct size, risk factors, and inflammatory factors were analyzed. The diagnostic efficacy of miR-124 in ACI was analyzed by the ROC curve. ACI patients were assigned to the miR-124 high/low expression group and the incidence of poor prognosis was compared between the two groups. miR-124 expression was poorly expressed in the serum of ACI patients. The area under the ROC curve of miR-124 in the diagnosis of ACI was 0.9527, the specificity was 91.67%, and the sensitivity was 93.52%. miR-124 expression in ACI patients was not affected by infarct classification, infarct size, low-density lipoprotein level, and homocysteine level. miR-124 expression was negatively correlated with IL-6, IL-8, and CRP in ACI patients. Low expression of miR-124 was positively correlated with the poor prognosis of ACI. miR-124 was poorly expressed in the serum of ACI patients and served as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis. This study shall confer a promising novel target for the diagnosis and treatment of ACI.
Keywords: C-reactive protein; IL-6; IL-8; ROC curve; acute cerebral infarct; diagnosis; miR-124; prognosis.