Molecular Biology Reports, cilt.52, sa.1, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Background: Ascending aortic aneurysms (AsAA) are progressive dilations of the aortic wall associated with pathological remodeling. Non-coding RNAs, including lncRNA H19 and miR-181a-3p, regulate vascular remodeling and inflammation, partly through modulation of the TGF-β signaling pathway. Methods and results: This study compared the expression of H19, miR-181a-3p, and TGF-β in aortic tissues from 48 patients undergoing AsAA or multivessel coronary artery bypass grafting (mCABG). Aortic tissue samples were collected, and RNA was extracted for quantitative real-time PCR analysis. MiR-181a-3p expression was significantly lower in the AsAA group compared to the mCABG group (p = 0.004), while TGF-β expression was higher (p = 0.022). When adjusted for DM, the difference in TGF-β expression became insignificant and H19 expression showed no significant difference between AsAA and mCABG groups. Conclusions: The decreased expression of miR-181a-3p in AsAA suggests its potential as a biomarker. Further studies are needed to explore its role in AsAA pathophysiology.