title: MicroRNA Expression in Myocardial Tissue and Plasma of Patients with End-Stage Heart Failure during LVAD Support: Comparison of Continuous and Pulsatile Devices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pulsatile flow left ventricular assist devices (pf-LVADs) are being replaced by continuous flow LVADs (cf-LVADs) in patients with end-stage heart failure (HF). MicroRNAs (miRs) play an important role in the onset and progression of HF. Our aim was to analyze cardiac miR expression patterns associated with each type of device, to analyze differences in the regulation of the induced cardiac changes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-six miRs were selected (based on micro-array data and literature studies) and validated in myocardial tissue before and after pf- (n = 17) and cf-LVAD (n = 17) support. Of these, 5 miRs displayed a similar expression pattern among the devices (miR-129*, miR-146a, miR-155, miR-221, miR-222), whereas others only changed significantly during pf-LVAD (miR-let-7i, miR-21, miR-378, miR-378*) or cf-LVAD support (miR-137). In addition, 4 miRs were investigated in plasma of cf-LVAD supported patients (n = 18) and healthy controls (n = 10). Circulating miR-21 decreased at 1, 3, and 6 months after LVAD implantation. MiR-146a, miR-221 and miR-222 showed a fluctuating time pattern post-LVAD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data show a different miR expression pattern after LVAD support, suggesting that differentially expressed miRs are partially responsible for the cardiac morphological and functional changes observed after support. However, the miR expression patterns do not seem to significantly differ between pf- and cf-LVAD implying that most cardiac changes or clinical outcomes specific to each device do not relate to differences in miR expression levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sjoukje I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Lok
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nicolaas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: de Jonge
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Kuik
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ankie J P
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: van Geffen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Manon M H
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Huibers
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: van der Weide
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Siera
authors.affiliation: Department of Methodology and Statistics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bjorn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winkens
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pieter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Doevendans
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Roel A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: de Weger
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Diseases, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Paula A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: da Costa Martins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000628:therapy; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs