LncRNA-TUG1 as a potential diagnostic biomarker for coronary atherosclerotic heart disease

Xin Wang; Xuyao Ji; Siyao Zhang; Benzhi Cai; Yu Liu

doi:10.1515/fzm-2025-0025

Abstract：Objectives: Accumulating evidence suggests that people living in cold regions have a higher risk of developing coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CHD). Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis and treatment of a variety of diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the serum level of lncRNA-taurine upregulated gene 1 (TUG1) in patients with CHD and assess its potential as a diagnostic biomarker. This study aims to investigate the serum level of lncRNA-TUG1 in patients with CHD and assess its potential as a diagnostic biomarker. Methods: The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was employed to identify the potential lncRNAs serving as biomarkers for CHD. To validate lncRNA-TUG1, 232 subjects were enrolled in both test and diagnostic cohorts. Serum lncRNA-TUG1 levels were measured by RT-qPCR. The association between lncRNA-TUG1 levels and CHD severity was analyzed using Pearson's correlation test. Diagnostic value was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and compared with established cardiac biomarkers. Results: LncRNA-TUG1 was identified in the GEO database as a potential biomarker for CHD. Serum lncRNA-TUG1 levels were significantly higher in CHD patients compared with healthy controls and non-CHD patients. CRP levels also differed between CHD and non-CHD groups, while other biomarkers showed no significant differences. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that lncRNA-TUG1 could distinguish CHD from non-CHD patients, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.8916, which was higher than that of conventional biomarkers such as cTnI. At a cut-off value of 2.311, the sensitivity and specificity of lncRNA-TUG1 were 61.63% and 97.67%, respectively, surpassing the diagnostic performance of cTnI. Furthermore, lncRNA-TUG1 levels in CHD patients were positively correlated with SYNTAX scores from coronary angiography and increased with the severity of vascular stenosis. Conclusion: Elevated serum lncRNA-TUG1 levels in CHD patients suggest that lncRNA-TUG1 may serve as a novel and valuable diagnostic biomarker for CHD, with potential utility in differentiating CHD from other cardiac diseases.