MicroRNAs (miRs) are emerging targets for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of heart failure (HF). Accumulated evidence showed that microRNA-132 (miR-132) and microRNA-152 (miR-152) play critical roles in the development of multiple pathological processes of the heart. Although their upregulations have been detected in the failing hearts of humans and animal models, little is known about the circulating levels of miR-132 and miR-152 in patients with HF.

Serum miR-132 and miR-152 were upregulated in Vietnamese patients with HF and may serve as candidate biomarkers for diagnostic purposes.

Our study was conducted from January 2022 to August 2022 at the Cardiology Department of the University Medical Center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. During study period, 36 participants were consecutively enrolled, including 18 HF patients and 18 patients who age and sex matched the non-HF controls. Serum samples of study participants were collected on admission and the expression levels of miR-132 and miR-152 were measured by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The comparative cycle threshold method (ΔCt) was applied to calculate the relative expression of miRs.

The miR concentration in HF group was significantly lower than that in the control group. In contrast, the serum levels of miR-132 and miR-152 were significantly higher in HF patients. Further analyses of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that miR-132 and miR-152 individually had moderate diagnostic potential for HF (with area under curve [AUC] values of 0.713 and 0.698, respectively). A positive correlation between these miRs was also confirmed.