Objective

ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction is a life-threatening coronary artery disease associated with extensive myocardial injury. Circular RNAs are emerging regulators in cardiovascular disease. This study examined circ-0049271 expression in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, its clinical associations, and responsiveness to oxidative stress.

Methods

Fifty-five ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients and 35 healthy controls were enrolled. Blood was collected before percutaneous coronary intervention and at 0.5 and 48 h after the intervention. circ-0049271 expression was measured using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and its correlations with the Gensini score, ischemic duration, cardiac biomarkers, and left ventricular ejection fraction were assessed. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were exposed to hydrogen peroxide to assess circular RNA regulation under oxidative stress.

Results

circ-0049271 expression was elevated in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients versus controls (p < 0.001) and remained high after percutaneous coronary intervention. It was correlated positively with the Gensini score (r = 0.444), creatine kinase–myocardial band (r = 0.427), and serum potassium (r = 0.322) and negatively with left ventricular ejection fraction (r = −0.281). Receiver operating characteristic analysis yielded an area under the curve of 0.788. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells, circ-0049271 expression increased in a dose-dependent manner with hydrogen peroxide treatment, with elevated oxidative stress markers and reduced superoxide dismutase activity.

Conclusions

circ-0049271 is upregulated in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and is correlated with myocardial injury, coronary lesion burden, and oxidative stress, supporting its potential as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target in acute myocardial infarction.

Search results

Clinical and pathophysiological significance of circ-0049271 in acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction