Lower miR-143/145 and higher matrix metalloproteinase-9 levels in circulation may be associated with intracranial aneurysm formation and rupture: A pilot study

Abstract Objectives We analyzed the relationship between plasma miR-143/145 and serum MMP-9 in patients with unruptured or ruptured intracranial aneurysms (IAs) to identify new biomarkers for predicting rupture in IAs. Patients and Methods We prospectively enrolled 24 consecutive patients, including seven patients without IAs as a control group, nine patients with unruptured IAs, and eight patients with ruptured IAs (enrolled within 3 days after rupture). Plasma miR-143/145 and MMP-9 were measured in blood samples collected from the femoral artery. Spearman ρ values were used for correlation analyses. Results The level of plasma miR-143/145 in patients with ruptured IAs was significantly lower than that of the control group. Moreover, patients with ruptured IAs had a significantly higher level of serum MMP-9 compared with that in patients with unruptured IAs and in control patients. A lower level of plasma miR-143 was significantly correlated with a lower level of plasma miR-145 (Spearman ρ = 0.771; P Conclusion These findings showed that a lower of plasma miR-143/145 is potentially associated with IA formation, while higher serum MMP-9 levels may be associated with IA rupture and could serve as a useful biomarker for the evaluation of IA rupture.