Circulating long non-coding RNAs as biomarkers of acute myocardial infarction

For the past decades, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been the most common cause of death in both genders. The invention of percutaneous intervention (PCI) has saved thousands of lives. The most important prognostic factor for AMI is the time between the onset of AMI and revascularization. Heart centers around the world have devoted themselves to improving the evaluation tools for AMI. Among these evaluation tools, MI biomarkers have undergone the most evolution over the past decade. Traditionally used protein biomarkers like CK-MB and troponin are limited by serum instability and low sensitivity, especially if patient is admitted right after chest pain. Because both biomarkers require 4–6 hours to be detectable. Recently, the researches of one type of noncoding RNA namely long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in the MI field has become popular. Even not coding any protein in most cases, lncRNA has an astounding effect on protein expression and modification. Expressions of lncRNA in the peripheral blood have been found to change during AMI. Both basic and clinical studies suggest that circulating lncRNA can be potentially used as a biomarker for myocardial injury.